Книга 27 [глава 36, стихи 22–33, глава 37]

The last twelve verses of the thirty-sixth chapter are set forth and all the verses of the thirty-seventh. Their meanings are considered for the sake of creating a system of Christian doctrine and morals. 1. He who presumptuously seeks to gain knowledge from the mighty word must carefully guard himself against the growth of his pride in learning; with words of power he must overcome the vices of his habits, otherwise, achieving mastery of words, he wounds himself through his inability to live. For when we hear these people speaking powerful words, and yet notice that they are proud of their powerful words, we enter, as it were, into the garden of learning, and pluck the roses and thorns. We must, therefore, carefully and carefully select what is sweet and fragrant, and avoid what pricks us: lest the careless hand of the gatherers be wounded by the thorn of their habit, if the flowers of their words happen to be carelessly collected. Elihu, therefore, being both knowledgeable and arrogant, produces in the one something that gives a sweet aroma, and in the other something that hurts. Therefore we must gather what is fragrant from his teaching, while carefully guarding against the wounds of his pride. He has already presented above, indeed, many remarks about morality, and in the words that follow, he even raised himself to the secrets of prophecy. So, he leaves the lowlands of morality, and rises to the heights of prophecy. 2. It should also not be surprising that an arrogant person could be filled with a prophetic spirit if, for example, Saul was among the prophets (1 Sam. 10:11) 2406. But why are we talking about this Saul when we know that even the donkey learned intelligent words from the angel? (Num.22:28; 2Pet.2:16) 2407. But the irrational animal uttered reasonable words, and yet did not go so far as to accept reason in exchange; Thus it happens that an unworthy person receives holy words by the spirit of prophecy, but does not achieve the deserved glory of holiness to rise above himself by his words; he sluggishly sinks below himself in his life. Whence Elihu, though not humble, beholds the humble appearance of our Redeemer, and declares in prophecy Him whom he attacks with his haughty manners, saying: Verse 22. Behold, God is high in His power, and none can compare with him among teachers (Job 36:22) 2408. 3. As if he had directly said, He who appears humble in weakness remains high in power. Paul also testifies, saying: although He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God (2 Cor. 13:4) 2409, of whom it is justly related: none is like Him among the teachers. Moses, for example, was a mentor, Jeremiah was, there were many mentors and prophets. We can name all the teachers who have been known to admonish people justly according to the law. But there is none like this Mediator among the mentors. For they, having been delivered by grace from their sins, returned to innocence, and, from what they had experienced in themselves, brought others back by their preaching. But our Redeemer is a Man without sin, a Son without sonship, and He never did anything that He did not approve of. And He speaks to the world through His human nature, just as the Lord of the world speaks before all ages through His Divinity. Therefore, some believe that the Mediator between God and people was similar to mentors. For when he asked: Who do people say that I, the Son of Man, am, the disciples answered and said: Some say John the Baptist, others Elias, others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets (Matt. 16:13-14) 2410. But He certainly reveals to Peter how high He was in power; looking at Him truly, he separated him from equality with his mentors, saying: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16) 2411. Therefore, the Bride rightly speaks of Him in the Song of Songs: at night on my bed I sought Him Whom my soul loves, I sought Him and did not find Him (Song.3:1) 2412 and a little after: the guards guarding the city found me (Song.3:3) 2413. About whom she again says: they wounded me, they took my veil (Song.5:7) 2414. And she asks them again, saying: Have you seen Him whom my soul loves? When I passed by them a little, I found the one whom my soul loves (Song.3:4) 2415. 4. She looked for her beloved in the night on the bed, because she longed for Him in the sorrow of her spirit, in the secret corners of her heart. The One Whom the Bride, looking for, does not find; because every soul of the elect has already been kindled by the fire of His love, but His contemplation, Which they so long for, is still not there, so that the lover’s craving can increase; like water taken away in thirst, so that the heat of thirst increases, and so that the longer a person thirsts and strives for it, the more willingly he can receive it, finally, when he finds it. But the guards found her while searching for Him; and they wounded her, and took away her covering: for when the considerate teachers meet with any soul that is already seeking a Redeemer, they wound it with the word of preaching, they pierce it with heavenly love, and if it has any covering of its former conduct, they take it away; so that the further she moved away from the burden of this world, the faster she would find Him. But why then is it added: When I walked past them a little, I found the one whom my soul loves? Because the mind that longs to see Him will not find Him, Who is above men, unless it passes through the teachings of the prophets, the exaltation of the patriarchs, and the standard for all people. To pass by the observers is to put aside, in comparison with Him, even those others whom the soul rightly admires. And the One Whom they were looking for will be seen if they believed that He was a Man, but above all human standards. Therefore, he said well: no one compares with him among mentors. But He, in fact, appearing to our view through weak flesh, rejecting some and calling others, manifested wonderful judgments that we can consider, but not comprehend. For He says: I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind (John 9:39) 2416. And again: I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You hid this from the wise and prudent, and You showed it to babes (Matthew 11:25) 2417, in this judgment, undoubtedly, the Jews are rejected, and the Gentiles are called. These are facts, in truth, which we can certainly marvel at, but are not at all able to comprehend. Therefore now Elihu also partakes well: Verse 23. Who can comprehend His way? Or who will dare to say to Him: You are doing injustice? (Job 36:23) 2418. 5. As if he had said: How can He be accused, He Whose works cannot be comprehended? Because no one can properly judge what he does not know. We should, therefore, behave the more quietly under His judgment, the more we see that we do not understand the reasons for His judgments. This also goes well with: Verse 24. Remember that you do not know His work, Whom people sing praises (Job 36:24) 2419. 6. In the Holy Scriptures, sometimes Angels, and sometimes people of perfect life, are called “people.” The fact that Angels are sometimes called “people” is testified by the prophet Daniel, saying: Behold, the man Gabriel (Dan.9:21) 2420. And again, the fact that people of perfect life are called “people”, Wisdom declares in parables, saying: to you, people, I call (Proverbs 8:4) 2421. Therefore, people praise the Lord, ever the spirits from above, or perfect teachers, show us His power. But His deeds are not yet known, because, no doubt, even those who preach Him revere His inscrutable judgments. They, therefore, know Him whom they preach, and yet do not know His work: because they know, by grace, Him by whom they were made, but cannot comprehend His judgment, whose works are beyond their understanding. The psalmist testifies that the works of Almighty God are incomprehensible: He covered His secret with darkness (Ps. 17:12) 2422. And again: Your judgments are a great deep (Ps. 35:7) 2423. And again: deep as the deep is His garment (Ps. 103:6) 2424. Just as you do not know the ways of the wind and how the bones are formed in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you do not know the works of God, who is the Creator of all things (Eccl. 11:5) 2425. 7. Instead of saying a lot, I'll say one thing. Two babies come into this light: but one returns to salvation through Baptism; the other is taken away before the purifying waters have washed over him. And the son of faithful parents is often taken away without faith, while the unbeliever is renewed through the Sacrament of faith. But someone may say that God knew that he would act wickedly even after Baptism, and that He therefore did not lead him to the grace of Baptism. But if this is so, then the sins of some persons are undoubtedly punished even before they are committed. And who thinks so, says that Almighty God, who forgives some for the sins they have committed, condemns others for the same sins, even when they did not commit them? His judgments are therefore hidden; and they must be revered with humility, like an abyss, like darkness through which they cannot be seen. Let him say: Remember that you do not know His work, Whom people praise. As if he had said directly, His deeds, Whom great men sing of, are hidden from the eyes of your understanding; because they exceed the measure of your knowledge, for you are organic by your human nature. Therefore it is added: Verse 25. All people see Him, everyone beholds Him from afar (Job 36:25) 2426. 8. Every man, because he is created intelligent, can conclude that he who created him is God. And to see Him at this time undoubtedly means to recognize His sovereignty with the help of reason. But when he says: All people see Him, he rightly joins: everyone contemplates from afar. For to contemplate Him from afar means to see Him not in person at the present time, but to think of Him solely out of admiration for His deeds. Even the elect see Him from afar; because they have not yet grasped His brightness with the acuteness of their hidden vision. For, although they are next to Him, now, in love, they are separated from Him by the burden of their earthly existence; and although they cling close to Him with a righteous life, they sigh that they are far from His contemplation. And the wicked see Him when they go to judgment, and they undoubtedly see Him from afar, because they see Him not in the form of His Divinity, but in His human nature only where He can be realized. Because, just then, their evil deeds, being recalled from their memory, close their sight, and while they see the human nature of Him whose Divinity they do not see, they are miraculously far from the sight of Him Whom they see. But when he said: Remember that you do not know His work, he then adds: All men see Him (to see Him means, as we have already said, to deduce by means of reason His omnipresent essence), it is a great miracle that we see God Himself, and yet do not know His work. For we cannot doubt His essence, and yet we are still not sure of His judgment. What is highest is open to us, what is less important is hidden. For His works are certainly less important to us than He Himself; and yet we see the Doer, but His actions are hidden in darkness for us: the reason why any thing is done is not clear to us, but Who it is who acts in this way is clearly open to us. Therefore let it be said: Remember that you do not know His work, Whom people praise; All people see Him, everyone contemplates Him from afar. Because we see, because He exists, One whose decisions we cannot understand at all. But, nevertheless, at the present time, we see Him from afar, because we are separated from His power by the fog of our weakness. Because: Verse 26. Behold, God is great, and we cannot know him (Job 36:26) 2427. 9 . He said above: Behold, God is high (Job 36:22) 2428. And now he says again: behold, God is great. Speaking about God, he says: “Here,” and again repeats: “Here.” We only say “Here” about something when we indicate that it is present. And since God is present everywhere, when they say “Behold” about Him, it is said that He is present even to those who do not contemplate Him. But he also says that He is beyond our understanding, the One of whom it was previously said that all can see Him. Because although He is visible, due to His greatness, we cannot penetrate into Him with any of our senses. For all we know of the brightness of His majesty is what is under Him; and the more we suspect that we understand His Power, the more we depart from the knowledge of Him. For although our mind rises to heights, the enormity of His greatness surpasses it. From these states we learn some small part of Him, when we feel that we are not able to know Him worthily. Because: The number of His years is uncountable (Job.36:26) 2429. 10. He wanted, one way or another, to talk about eternity, and he called the length of eternity “summer.” For when we want to expand the brevity of time, we unite our moments into hours, our hours into days, our days into months, and our months into years. At that moment he wanted to talk about something very long, but did not find something that would be a longer period of time to speak clearly, and he multiplied the years of God without counting their number, saying that the number of His years cannot be counted; in order that, by attempting to count those things which are infinite in themselves, human weakness may learn that man cannot measure the length of eternity. Extend your gaze into eternity to see God, either as He was at the very beginning, or how far He expands. And there is no limit anywhere above us, because He does not begin to be; and there is no limit anywhere below, because He does not cease to be. All things are limited together in Him; but He passes through all things beyond space, extends beyond, not limited to place. Here are all the things that are created, limited by their very creation, surrounded by boundaries both above and below. According to their own laws, because they begin from nothingness, and they will soon cease to be. 11. But some things miraculously received that, although their boundary begins above, no boundary limits them below; and that although they begin to be, they do not cease to be forever. But their eternity differs from the highest eternity, because they still began to be eternal. When we look at their vastness, we see no end to them; but when we bring our mind back, we see their beginning. And while we turn our thoughts lower and higher in them, we do not at all understand how far they extend, but we see where they begin. But since God is a kind of length of being in eternity, which neither begins at the beginning nor ends at the end, and which does not contain in itself such concepts as from where, and until some time; let it then be said: The number of His years is uncountable. The number of His years is mentioned because His existence is revealed to us to be continuous. But this number, as they say, is innumerable, because it is infinite and unknowable. But at the same time we learned that He, as is known, is in the minds of people: all people see Him; and that we see and admire His greatness, when the number of His years is innumerable; now it remains for us to hear what his actions are. Because: Verse 27. Which takes away the stars of rain, and pours out showers like whirlpools (Job 36:27) 2430. 12. There are only two kinds of righteous people in this life; Some of them are those who live righteously but do not teach others; others are those who live righteously but also teach. So on the face of the sky sparkling drops appear, like stars, which do not lead to rain, but sometimes others appear, the waters of which quench the thirst of the earth with great showers. Often a person lives righteously in the Holy Church, but does not yet know how to preach this righteousness. Such people are stars, of course, but produced in dry air: because they can give light to others by their example of good living, but cannot preach their words as rain. But when some people both live righteously and convey their righteousness to others through preaching, the stars appear, so to speak, in the heavens to bring rain. They enlighten others with the achievements of their lives, and also rain down the words of the sermon. Did not Moses appear in this sky like a star of rain, which, when it shone on high, watered the hearts of sinners with the rain of holy instruction, like the soil beneath it, so that it would bear a bountiful harvest? Did not Isaiah appear as a star of rain, who in foreknowledge, raising up the light of truth, watered the parched hearts of unbelievers, declaring the words of prophecy? Was it not Jeremiah, and the other prophets, placed, as it were, in the sky, like the stars of rain, who, when raised on the high platform of preaching, dared to expose the depravity of sinners, truly clogged with the dust of human blindness, watering them with the drops of their words? But since it is service to heaven that takes away the souls of these people, imprisoned in corruptible flesh, from real life, these stars of rain are taken away by the face of heaven. And the stars return to secret places when the souls of the saints, having completed their paths, find eternal refuge in the treasuries of Inner Peace. 13. But since the Earth will dry up if the streams of rain from above cease completely, when the stars are taken away, then it is rightly said: Who takes away the stars of rain, and pours out showers like whirlpools. For when the Lord took away the prophets, He sent apostles in their place; the rain stars, after the external preaching of the Law, left when the ancient fathers were taken away. Thus He takes away the stars of the rain, and pours out the rain as a downpour, because after He had taken the preachers of the law into His hidden and secret abode, preaching of more abundant power was poured out according to the words of those who came after. 14. The holy Apostles can also be designated under the stars of rain, as Jeremiah said to outcast Judah: The stars of rain were taken away, and there was no latter rain (Jer. 3:3) 2431. The Lord took away the stars of the rain, and poured out the rain as a downpour, because when He took the Apostles who were preaching from Judea, He watered the whole world with the teaching of new grace. Both of these things can also, quite rightly, be understood as having happened in the Church. For when He took the souls of the Apostles to the secret places on high, delivering them from their mortal bodies, He actually took away the rain stars from the face of heaven. But when the stars of rain were taken away, He poured out showers, for when the Apostles were taken to the secret places on high, He, by the speeches of subsequent interpreters, revealed a much greater abundance of the streams of Divine knowledge that were hitherto hidden. For what the first stated briefly, others multiplied and diversified, interpreting the words of the first. Therefore, the preaching of interpreters is rightly compared to a rainstorm, since, collecting the sayings of many who were before them, they spread them through themselves with the greater depth that they have accumulated. By combining evidence with evidence, they make a shower of drops. And while they daily teach the pagan world with their words, the minds of sinners receive heavenly wisdom, water like showers. But let these interpreters not think of comparing themselves in any way with the Apostles in wisdom because they speak longer or longer. They must constantly remember through Whom they received the revelation of this very wisdom. Therefore it is rightly added: Verse 28. Which flow out of the clouds (Job 36:28) 2432. 15. These showers actually flow from the clouds; because if the power of understanding does not begin with the holy Apostles, the teaching will not flow more fully through the lips of the teachers. For “clouds” in the Holy Scriptures sometimes mean changeable people, sometimes prophets, sometimes apostles. Under the clouds the fickleness of the human mind is expressed, for example, when Solomon says: He who watches the wind must not sow; and whoever looks at the clouds will not reap (Eccl. 11:4) 2433. He undoubtedly calls the unclean spirit “wind,” and the people who follow him “clouds,” which he pushes back and forth, here and there, as often as his temptations alternate in their hearts with a variety of tempting offers. He, therefore, who watches the wind, does not sow, because he who fears the coming of temptations does not direct his heart to good deeds. And he who looks at the clouds does not reap, since he who trembles from the fear of human impermanence deprives himself of the eternal reward. By “clouds” are meant the prophets, when, for example, the psalmist says: Dark waters in the clouds of the air (Ps. 17:12) 2434, which means the hidden wisdom of the prophets. The Apostles are also called “clouds” when Isaiah says: I will command the clouds not to water, not to rain on him (Is. 5:6) 2435. They are "stars" because they shine with the merits of their lives; they are “clouds” because they water the dry earth of our heart with streams of heavenly knowledge. For if they were not “clouds,” the prophet would not have said, looking at them: Who is this that flies like the clouds (Is. 60:8) 2436? Showers then pour out from the clouds in whirlpools, because the deep teachings of those who follow them traced the origin of their wisdom to the holy apostles. That’s why the clouds are also mentioned: Which cover all things above (Job 36:28) 2437. 16. When clouds cover the space above, if we raise our eyes to the sky, we see not the sky, but them; and our vision does not penetrate into the etheric regions, because his own illness hides them from him. And when the sun shines from the heavens, it first passes through the air that is between them, and only after that can one contemplate the rays of the sun in the sky. Because we carnal people, when we strive to achieve heavenly things, actually lift our eyes to heaven, and direct our gaze there, and, suppressing our connections with bodily things, we want to learn spiritual things. But since our mind cannot pass on to Divine objects unless it is first prepared by the examples of the saints who came before us, our eyes do look to the sky, but see clouds; because the mind strives to understand those things that are from God, but so far it can only with difficulty admire those things that have been given to people. Therefore it is said in another place: You are more glorious than the eternal mountains (Ps. 75:5) 2438. For he who cannot contemplate the rising of the sun looks at the mountains illuminated by its rays, and therefore finds that the sun has risen. God enlightens us, thus, from the eternal mountains, because He illuminates us with a ray of His light, through our admiration of the deeds of the ancient fathers. Here we are inflamed with the zeal of devotion and love for the Lord; but we are more firmly formed in this devotion and love through our contemplation of these clouds. For who was more faithful than Peter? Who is more full of love than John? One, out of his devotion, was not afraid to walk on the waves of the sea (Matthew 14:28–29) 2439, the other rested out of his love on the breast of our Creator, and the one who came for bodily rest received spiritual food from the breast of the Savior (John 13:23–25) 2440. 17. But since we have already said that the prophets are also designated "clouds", we understand that we need to put in the first place the examples of the ancient fathers. When we wish through obedience to come to the fulfillment of heavenly commandments, consideration of the ways of the ancient fathers helps us in this. Who was more obedient than Abraham, who, at one word of the Lord, leaves his tribe and his country (Gen. 12:1-4) 2441? When we strive to acquire the virtue of patience, we also look to the examples of those who preceded us. Who is more patient than Isaac, who carries brushwood, asks for a burnt offering, and soon after, allows himself to be bound and placed on the altar, without protesting or resisting (Gen. 22:6-9) 2442? Who can say that he is more patient than this man? who goes as if for consolation, but finds himself bound and ready to be burned, but remains silent; who asks when he is going to make a burnt offering, but when he learns that he is going to be offered as a burnt offering, remains silent? As we strive to become resilient and hardworking, we are also supported by previous examples. For who is more industrious than Jacob, who, although he was a relative of Laban, served his family obediently for so long and obeyed like a servant in order to receive the promised reward (Gen. 29:15-30) 2443? As we strive to rise to the fortress of continence and chastity, we are also supported by the examples of those who preceded us. For who is more chaste than Joseph, who did not agree, even as a captive, to satisfy the lustful desire of his mistress (Gen. 39: 7–8) 2444? And he really was a slave of people, but even while in slavery, he remained free from the dominant power of evil. When we wish to be filled with mercy, we are helped with examples by those who preceded us. For who is more merciful than Moses, who bears the burden of the rebellion of the people under him, and yet begs the Lord, when He is angry, to spare these persecutors of his, thereby putting himself under the blow of Divine wrath in their place, because love shines in his holy breast even towards the persecutors (Num. 16:20-22) 2445? And when we strive for constancy of mind, we are supported by the examples of those who preceded us. For who is more constant than Jeremiah (maybe Jesus English Joshua), who, having gone in search of the nations, was not afraid of their height, nor the greatness of their number (Num. 14:6-9) 2446? Therefore he conquered in battle the same countries which he was not afraid to seek. As we strive to reach the heights of kindness, we again learn from the examples of those who went before us. For who is kinder than Samuel, who, having lost power, humbly seeks his successor; and, having anointed him king, endures him as a persecutor, the one whom he himself anointed. He is afraid to die by his hand, and yet he begs the Lord not to be angry with him. For he himself says that when he is sent, Saul will hear and kill me (1 Samuel 16:2) 2447 and the Truth itself says to him: How long will you grieve over Saul, whom I have rejected (1 Samuel 16:1) 2448? Who in general could be more kind than a person who does not want God's punishment for someone by whom he is afraid of being killed? As we move to the heights of mercy and humility, we are again supported by the examples of those who went before us. For who can be called more merciful than David, and more humble than he who received insults from the king for his victories, in which by his strength he saved the people of Israel from the hands of their enemies, and yet fled so as not to die as powerless? He knows that he himself was chosen by Divine decision, and that his persecutor was abandoned; and yet he gives himself to his persecutor, with humility; who takes the spear of his pursuer and cuts off part of his cloak (1 Sam. 24:4) 2449 and hastens immediately to the top of the mountain, and at the same time shows that he had the power to kill, and prays not to kill (Ibid. 26:12-16) 2450 . 18. Because when we are taught by the previous examples, in all the things that we spiritually desire, it is rightly said about these clouds that they embrace all the things above. For the covering of the life of the fathers spreads over us like clouds so that we may be watered to bear the fruit of fruitful growth. And we see how it was with the clouds, firstly, when we look at the sky; because for the first time we contemplate with admiration righteous deeds, and then we penetrate, already through our experience, into those things that are heavenly. But the life and virtues of these clouds, that is, these ancient fathers, would not have been fully revealed to us if other clouds, that is, the Apostles, had not revealed them to us in the light of their preaching. Let our conversation now return to these clouds that go through the world with their preaching; and let him answer what the Lord has done with their help in the world. Verse 29, 30. If He spreads out the clouds like His tent and shines His light from above, He will even cover the ends of the sea ( Job 36:29–30 ) 2451 . 19. The Lord “spreads the clouds” when, having opened the way for preaching to his preachers, he spreads them in every direction, throughout the latitudes of the whole world. But it is well said, like His tent. For a tent, as usual, is spread out on a journey. And when holy preachers are sent into the world, they pave the way for God. Hence it is written: Behold, I send My angel before You, who will prepare Your way before You (Mal.3:1) 2452 and, therefore, the psalmist said: Prepare the way for Him who ascended in the west (Ps.67:5) 2453. And again: God, when You appear before Your people, when You pass through the desert, the earth shakes (Ps. 67:8) 2454. For God, who Himself is not located in one particular place, makes a way into separate parts of the world through His preachers. Therefore the prophet said: And I will walk among you (Lev.26:12) 2455. For He actually goes through them, while He fills the hearts of the people according to their teaching. And on this journey, the tents of God are the hearts of the saints, in which He is located throughout this journey. And passing through them into the hearts of people, He influences what He has predetermined, but what is still invisible. That is why all the synagogues together are called a “tent” when the Lord complains to Jeremiah that the priests have stopped preaching, saying: There is no one left to spread My tent and hang My curtains (Jer. 10:20) 2456. And again it speaks of destruction: He destroyed His tent like a garden, and destroyed His dwelling (Lam. 2:6) 2457. Because the Lord at that time lived secretly in the hearts of some people who worshiped Him, He called these people His tent. That is why these clouds are now rightly called His tent, because God, when He comes to us by His grace, is in the hearts of His preachers. Was not Paul His tent in which the Lord rested when he brought Him into the hearts of people from Jerusalem to Illyria (Rom. 15:19) 2458? For he was a cloud to men, but a tent to God; because he invisibly kept Him in his heart, the One Whom he poured into the hearts of his listeners with his preaching. When the same Paul was brought to Rome, bound in chains, God, hidden in his breast, traveled as in a tent (Acts 27:28) 2459 because He was not visible, and yet was revealed by the words of the sermon. Moses appeared as His cloud when, before he led the Jewish people, he stayed for forty years in the desert, and, being aspired to high things, lived separately from the people (Ex. 3). But he became the tent of God when, having been sent to Egypt to bring back the people, he comes having the invisible truth in his heart, when Almighty God, who was revealed in his works, lay hidden in his heart. And He Who is ever present, possessing everything, entering Egypt, traveled there in the bosom of His servant. Therefore it is written: God went to Egypt to acquire His people (2 Samuel 7:23) 2460. Behold, it is said of Him, whose indescribable presence is everywhere, that He travels, because He Who is everywhere nevertheless marks His steps along the way by preaching. 20. But words alone will not be enough to convince these holy preachers if miracles are not added. Therefore, after he said: If He spreads the clouds like His tent, He rightfully joins: and will illuminate with His light from above. For what, if not miracles, should we suppose as the meaning of the light from above? The psalmist said about this: Multiply Your lightnings and scatter them (Ps. 143:6) 2461. He then illuminates these clouds from above with His light, because through holy preachers He illuminates the darkness of our insensibility with miracles. 21. And when these clouds spread out with the rain of words and the miracles of the power of their bright light, they transform even the most distant borders of the world in Divine love. Hence it is rightly added: He will cover even the ends of the sea. This is a thing that we heard spoken by the voice of Elihu, but we see it all the time being carried out by the power of God. For the Almighty Lord covers the ends of the sea with luminous clouds, because by the brightness of the miracles of the preachers, He has brought even the farthest borders of the world to faith. For, behold! He has now penetrated into the hearts of almost all nations; Here! He united in a single faith the boundaries of the East and the West; Here! the tongue of Great Britain, which knew only how to utter barbaric sounds, resounded in Divine praise: Alleluia! Here is the ocean, which before was seething, but now calmed down, and lay humbly at the feet of the saints: and its barbaric movements, which the princes of the earth were not able to control with the sword, the lips of the priests were bound with simple words through the fear of God. And he who, being an unbeliever, was not afraid of military detachments, now fears, when he has become faithful, the lips of the humble. For when the virtue of Divine knowledge is poured into him by the words of heaven which he hears, and by the brightness of the miracles which he sees, he is already restrained by the fear of Divine power, he is afraid of doing wrong, and directs all his desires to achieve the grace of eternity. Therefore, he also rightly added here: Verse 31. By this He judges the people, and provides food for many mortals (Job 36:31) 2462. 22. With these words of preachers, that is, with raindrops in the clouds, and with this light of miracles, God undoubtedly judges the nations; because He calls their fearful hearts to repentance. For when they hear about heavenly things, when they see wonderful deeds, they soon return their gaze to their hearts, and are afraid of their former evil deeds in fear of eternal torment. But food is given in abundance by the same clouds that bring this fear: with great confidence, people strive for preachers in order to humble arrogant minds and hear words of consolation in suffering: so as to warn sinners about eternal punishment, and to support those who repent with the news of the joys of the Kingdom of Heaven. The very order of this dispensation is clearly visible in the words of Elihu: first God judges people, and then gives them food. Because, in truth, Almighty God first punishes and awakens us from our evil deeds through his preachers, and then gently comforts us with hope. For if, according to God’s providence, these clouds could not judge, He would never have said to these clouds: receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; on whomever you leave it, it will remain on him (John 20:22–23) 2463. And again, if He had not fed hungry hearts with them, the Lord would never have told His disciples, they don’t need to go, just give them something to eat. And we believe that what was then done by their hands, we can see that the same, without ceasing, happens daily with their words (Matthew 14:16) 2464. For what does Peter show us when he speaks in his epistles, if not that our meager, hungry hearts can be fed with the food of the word? Both Paul and John, through the labors of their epistles, show that our minds can receive heavenly food, and satisfy this insatiable hunger from which they were dying? Let them say: If He spreads the clouds like His tent and illuminates with His light from above, He will even cover the ends of the sea; By this He judges the people, and provides food for many mortals. It is as if he were saying directly: if He sends His saints for the ministry of preaching, and helps their words with miracles, He calls the borders of the whole world to faith; and by these means He first judges the proud, and then carefully and hopefully strengthens the humble with a word of consolation. 23. But when he said that He gives food to mortals, we must especially notice that he does not say “to all,” but to “many.” Because, indeed, it is written: not all people have faith (2 Thess. 3:2) 2465, and also about some it is said: therefore you do not hear, because you are not from God (John 8:47) 2466. And again: no man can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him (John 6:44) 2467. And one more thing: The Lord knows those who are His (2 Tim. 2:19) 2468. Therefore, the majority of people, even in the Holy Church, have preserved the faith, and yet have not preserved the life of faith: they partake of the Lord’s humility, but despise humbling themselves in imitation of the Lord. They take part in the preaching of the humble Word of God, but still, on their own, grow in pride. Therefore, here, after what has been said about the entire Church, which is designated by the ends of the sea, it is rightly added: Verse 32. He hides the light from the mighty (Job 36:32) 2469. 24. For those are called “mighty” who exalt themselves in proud thoughts. Against whom did Isaiah say: Woe to you who are wise in their own eyes and understanding before themselves (Is. 5:21) 2470. Against whom Paul also says: Do not be wise in imagination (Rom. 12:16) 2471 But the light is hidden from these mighty ones, because, without a doubt, the knowledge of the truth is denied to arrogant people. The Truth Itself speaks about this: I, I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You hid these things from the wise and prudent, and You showed them to the little ones (Matthew 11:25) 2472. And the wise and prudent are called arrogant. After all, the One who said this did not say: “You have revealed this to fools,” but said “to the little ones,” making it clear that He condemned their pride, and not their wisdom. Where he said in another place: The Lord protects the little ones (Ps. 116:6) 2473. And in order to show what is meant by this smallness, he added: I fainted, and He set me free. Because there are many in the Church who neglect to be small, they stop trying not to be great in their own eyes, even in a place of humility. You can often see them holding their heads high, enjoying the joys, and also showing off their good qualities in all directions. They often specifically desire nothing more than to dominate others, and are content to be feared by many; they neglect to live righteously, but desire to have the good name of living righteously; they judge flatteringly and are proud of the applause they receive. And since they are abundantly supplied with everything, they do not seek the joy to which they should come. And since the variety of activities attracts them, they find themselves strangers even to themselves. And yet, if any discussion of their faith arises, and since in appearance they are in it, they defend it with words, they defend it diligently and extol their heavenly country, and at the same time do not love it. 25. And this did the children of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh before Moses; possessing a large number of flocks and herds, wanting to own the land of the plain, which they saw on this side of the Jordan, they refuse to accept the promised land as an inheritance, saying: The land that the Lord struck before the congregation of Israel is a land fit for flocks, and your servants have flocks. And they said: If we have found favor in your eyes, give this land to your servants for a possession; do not take us across the Jordan (Num. 32:4–5) 2474. Thus, they who have many beasts of burden wanted to avoid crossing the Jordan, because those who have many worldly obligations cease to seek the abode of their heavenly country. But the faith that they have in outward appearance nevertheless urgently calls them further so that they do not become lazy in the joy of ease, and do not interfere with others, and do not distract others with their example from endurance of work, and from learning to be patient. Therefore Moses said to them: Will your brothers go to war? will you stay here? Why do you destroy the minds of the children of Israel (Numbers 32:6–7) 2475. But because they are ashamed of not defending what they have voiced, they hasten to fight for this faith which they professed; and secure it, not for themselves, but also for their neighbors. Therefore they say to Moses: We will build sheepfolds, and stalls for our animals, and fortified cities for our children; but we ourselves will go armed and ready for battle before the children of Israel (Num. 32:16–17) 2476. And they go boldly forward right before others, and liberate the promised land from their enemies, and leave it, and return to feed their flocks on the other side of the Jordan. For many people, although faithful, are busy with present worries and feeding, as it was, their flocks beyond the Jordan; because, despite the faith of Baptism, they are enslaved with all their hearts, with every desire of disastrous objects. But still, as we have already said, when a judgment arises against their faith, they girdle themselves with defense. They overcome and kill the enemies of faith, but do not love the inheritance of the promised land, that is, the fruit of faith. And they do howl in her name, but leave their vows outside of her. And because they keep their children outside of it, they do not place their love in it and do not live in it. Therefore they return to the flat land, because they go from the high peaks of the mountains, as if from the hope of heaven, back to brute animals without a promised land. They work hard, yielding to the irrational movements of their consciousness towards various objects of desire, for they, who are blinded by temporary pursuits, do not know how great the brightness of the eternal light is; and while they take pride in worldly things, they close off to themselves the light of heaven. Therefore he correctly said: He hides the light from the mighty. But grace from above sometimes looks upon these mighty ones, and smites them with the cares of their abundant goods, and mixes with their prosperity unfavorable but profitable cares, in order that when they are sad they may turn to their hearts, and learn how vainly they are occupied with temporal affairs. From here also, after it is said: He hides the light from the mighty, it is added: And commands him to return again (Job 36:32) 2477. 26. Because the light of truth, which is hidden from the proud and overburdened minds, is revealed to the oppressed and humiliated. For it is easy to approach when the suffering mind discerns the darkness of the sorrow which it experiences through temporary occupations: for but for some perception of light from within, it would not even see that it has lost the light. But by this can also be especially understood the Jews, who for this reason dared to oppose our Redeemer, who came in the flesh, because they are men mighty in their own thoughts. But the light was hidden from these mighty ones, because when they pursued the light of truth in their pride, they lost it. But since they must be allowed to believe in the end of the world, they rightly join in: and will allow him to return again. Therefore Isaiah said: even though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant will be saved (Is. 10:22) 2478. The light then returns to them when they themselves return, recognizing the power of our Redeemer. 27. But if we study the word "inmanibus" (hidden) not as one word, but as two parts of speech (That is, not inmanibus, but in manibus, as in the Epistle to the Hebrews); then it may be understood that the light is hidden by the hand, when the wicked are blinded in their works in the presence of the righteous Judge. But still he is ordered to return again. Because when sinners learn that they cannot be preserved by their own efforts, they receive the light of grace, and, illuminated by the rays of inner protection, they then begin to love their heavenly country with more zeal than before they loved earthly pleasures. But when we speak, therefore, of our heavenly country (in which we know that Angels dwell, endowed with wonderful brightness; over whom the Creator of all things presides, which He refreshes and fills with His Countenance, the light of which is the true inheritance, and there is not a single spot on its brightness;), we turn our thoughts to ourselves, and realize that we bear in us earthly members; we see that we were born in darkness, and alienated from the rays of light within, and we lived more sinfully, the more we gained experience in bodily activities, and moved further and further from spiritual objects. And the heart, struck by this thought and realizing sin in itself, is horrified and almost loses hope of becoming a citizen of this powerful country about which he hears. Therefore, here it is explained how, from fear, the mind returns again to hope, and about this light it is immediately added: Verse 38. He declares this to his friend, that this is his possession, and that he can come to it. 28. A friend of truth is one who loves a righteous life. Therefore, the Truth Itself says to its disciples: You are my friends if you do what I command you (John 15:14) 2479. For the word friend rightly means “guardian of the soul” (“amicus” - friend, “animi custos” - keeper of the soul, Latin) and, therefore, the one who strives to preserve the will of God in His commandments is deservedly called His friend. Again, the Truth again speaks to the same disciples: but I have called you friends, therefore everything that I heard from My Father I declared also to you (John 15:15) 2480. By this light of the eternal country, God declares to his friend that this is his possession, and that he need not despair of his own weakness; that he should not despair of what he was, but trust in how he has been renewed; but one must understand, of course, very clearly that he possesses this light all the more, the more surely he now tramples out the darkness of attacking sins. And this is well included in the promise that he can come to him. For what is more difficult for a person born on earth, and bearing earthly weak members, than to ascend to the heights of heaven, and penetrate into the secrets of the spirits above him? 29. But the Creator of these very spirits came to us, and revealed himself as a Man, even under them, as the Father said about him through the prophet: You made him a little lower than the angels (Ps. 8:6) 2481. And because He placed Himself between these spirits and us in this present life, with wonderful power, and with even more wonderful kindness, having created the highest and taking upon Himself the lower nature, He united the high and the low together. Therefore it turns out that, in connection with the birth of this King, groups of Angels came out to announce Him, to sing a hymn; and, the incongruity of human evil behavior is overcome, people are recognized as citizens previously despised, proclaiming with a melodious voice: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:14) 2482. It was as if they had clearly said: For those who are ready to separate themselves from evil, may the Divine now be born on earth to unite us. Therefore, before His incarnation, we read in the Old Testament that man bowed before the Angel (And Lot, and Joshua, and (Deut. 34:10) 2483 should not be forgotten, see also (Dan. 12:1) 2484) and it was not forbidden to worship him (Gen. 19:13-16) 2485, but when after the coming of the Redeemer John fell on his face to worship the Angel, he heard: Look, don’t do this, I am a companion to you and your brothers (Rev. 19:10) 2486. What does it mean that the Angels used to patiently allow people to bow to them, and then refused to do so, if not that at first they knew people to be pitiful, surrendered to the flesh, and not yet brought out of this state, and therefore justly despised them; but then they could no longer allow human nature to be subservient to itself, since they saw in this nature their Creator, exalted above them. This nature should no longer be despised, it deserves to be revered. Therefore, He who became lower than the Angels for our sake made us become equal to the Angels by virtue of His humiliation (Heb. 2:7) 2487. He also taught us, while dying, that death should not be frightening, with His Resurrection - that we must be confident in eternal life, with His Ascension - that we must rejoice in our inheritance of the heavenly country. It is indeed so that all parts of the body can rejoice in this, for they follow to the same place where they see that their Head has passed before. And Our Head Himself spoke about this, saying: where the corpse is, there the eagles will also gather together (Matthew 24:28) 2488. Therefore Peter says: to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you (1 Pet. 1:4) 2489. Therefore Paul says: For we know that although our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God in heaven, a house not made with hands, eternal (2 Cor. 5:1) 2490. 30. But if we who were born on earth ascend to heaven, what about the fact that the Truth says: No one ascends into heaven except the Son of Man who came down from heaven, who is in heaven (John 3:13) 2491? For this sentence is directly opposite to what Truth also says: Father! whom You have given Me, I want them to be with Me where I am (John 17:24) 2492 and yet He does not contradict Himself in His words, but it kindles the jealousy of our mind to investigate these things that seem to contradict. All of us who are born into His faith are undoubtedly His body. Because the Lord, by a wonderful dispensation, is the Head of his own members. And indeed, no man, therefore, ascends to heaven, but only He who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven. For, since we have already become one body with Him, He returns us to the place from which He came in Himself; And He who is always in heaven ascends daily into heaven; because He who remains in His Divinity above all things returns Himself daily to heaven in the body of Human Nature. Let us then ensure that human weakness does not throw us into despair; let's accept the Blood of the Only Begotten, which is priceless! Let him look with concern where the Head went before, and let that which is bound by His commandments of righteous life be strengthened in order to draw hope from His example. Let them feel the sky and hope for the heavenly country; let it be known that our comrades are Angels and let it be joyful that the Head is preferred even to the Angels. Let it be true what is said about this light of the eternal country: He declares this to his friend that this is his possession, and that he can come to it. These things are wonderful, but also very frightening: man, born on earth, and condemned by his offense to excommunication from the heavenly country, is not only restored to the state of his creation, but even raised to a still more glorious state; for he who has lost Paradise receives Heaven, and that, notwithstanding his guilt, gifts fell upon him in abundance even after his sin; and he who despises God and imitates the devil, if he returns to fruitful repentance, will ascend to even greater heights, contemplating the inner light. Whose heart can refrain from jumping in admiration at such mercy? Whose laziness will not be destroyed by such a lofty thought? Poem. 1. And because of this my heart trembles and is moved from its place (Job.37:1) 2493. 31. Because when fear strikes the mind, it seems to distance the mind, causing it to become confused, Latin translations sometimes call fear frenzy. The Psalmist says: I said in my fear, I am driven out of Thy sight (Ps. 30:23) 2494. Here, for example, fear could be called frenzy. But the word fear in this place is used to denote a state of frenzy, because the mind is alienated from itself in fear, as in frenzy. Therefore, here, after considering the light of the eternal country, it is rightfully included: And from this my heart trembles. As if he had spoken, the heart went out of itself in frenzied admiration, and because the mind was imbued with the spirit of new hope, it separated itself from old thoughts. 32. But it is well said: and it moved from its place. The pleasures of this life are the “place” of the human heart. But when our heart is touched by divine longing, love for eternity comes. The heart is thus moved from its place through the contemplation of the eternal home, because it leaves those things below and is directed to the things above. For before it did not know that there are eternal things, and it was overwhelmed by the pleasures of temporary things, and was captured by the love of these things. But after it realized that there are eternal things, after reaching the rays of heavenly light, being awakened by the admiration of the highest objects, it raised itself from low things; so that now it feels no pleasure but the joy of eternal things, and despising temporal objects, it strives only for those that are eternal. It is well said because: And because of this my heart trembles and is moved from its place. For when a withered heart, which has long been captivated by earthly thoughts, suddenly, going beyond itself, joins the highest objects, it leaves its place - the place of low thoughts. But since the heart slumbers within itself, overcome by the love of this world, and sleeps in its cold and insensitive charms, unless it is rescued by the breath of Divine grace, it is necessary to add about it, it is restored in spiritual truths. Therefore it is added: Verse 2. Hear with terror the hearing of His voice, and the sound that proceeds from His mouth ( Job 37:2 ) 2495 . 33. Often the Holy Scripture, in order to inform us that some thing will be heard, says: hear the hearing. As, for example, Habakkuk says: Lord, I heard Your rumor and was afraid (Hab.3:2) 2496. It also says to hear the sound of terror in His voice. And we must notice that it is said about the voice of God that it was heard not in joy, but in horror. Because, undoubtedly, every sinner, thinking about earthly things, carries a heart overflowing with destructive thoughts, and when he is suddenly touched by the desire of Divine grace, he understands, first of all, that all his actions are punishable by the decision of the Eternal Judge. The moment when the voice of the Lord is heard passes in horror, so that a person can subsequently experience sweetness. Because we are first punished by the awareness of the horror of strict judgment, so that we can be renewed after punishment by the consolation of heavenly sweetness. For when the delight of temporal things possesses our mind, and oppresses the eyes of our mind with the sleep of laziness, if we are suddenly lifted up by the hand of Divine grace, we open at once those eyes, which have long been closed, to the light of truth: we remember the sins which we have committed, we see how strictly the Judge speaks out against them; we feel inside how great the greatness of the Judge is; how terrible is the eternal sentence that comes from the lips of the strict Judge, with whom He addressed the outcasts: depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41) 2497. The punishment of these outcasts appears right before our eyes and the thought comes with a heavy darkness of bitterness, what is in the darkness of hell? For a proud heart is first shaken with terror so that, when shaken, it may come out of its place and be established in love, here it is rightly said: Hear with terror the hearing of His voice. And it is also well communicated: and the sound coming from His mouth. 34. The sound from the mouth of God is the power of fear thrown into us by heavenly inspiration. Because when God, breathing on us, fills us with thoughts about the future, He undoubtedly disturbs us with our past sins. But “the mouth of God” can also mean the Only Begotten Son, who, as He said, is His hand, because God does everything through Him (what does the prophet say: to whom has the hand of the Lord been revealed? (Is. 53:1) 2498 and what John also says: all things began to be through Him (John 1:3) 2499), but He calls this His mouth. As the prophet says: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it (Is. 1:20) 2500, through whom He speaks all things that pertain to us. It is as if the Word is clearly called "mouth"; just as we are accustomed to say “language” and not “words”, when, for example, we talk about Greek or Latin, we say “language”, although we mean “words”. Therefore we rightly understand Him by the words “the mouth of the Lord.” Where does the Bride say to Him in the Song of Songs: Let him kiss me with the kiss of his lips ( Song 1:1 ) 2501, as if She had said: Let Him touch me with the presence of the Only Begotten Son, my Redeemer. But by the “sound of the mouth” one can understand the Holy Spirit of the Lord Himself. Therefore it is written in another place, denoting the Holy Spirit: Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as if from the approach of a strong wind (Acts 2:2) 2502. The sound, therefore, comes from the mouth of the Lord when His consubstantial Spirit, coming to us through His Son, breaks through the deafness of our insensibility. How the mouth of the Lord speaks of this same indescribable and ethereal sound: He will take of Mine and declare it to you (John 16:14) 2503. The terror of His voice signifies the strength of our fear, and the sound of His lips is the sweetness of consolation; those whom the Holy Spirit fills are first horrified by their earthly affairs, and then consoled by the hope of heavenly things; so that they can later rejoice more in faith in their heavenly rewards, they are previously horrified by the sight of punishment. Paul also says about this Consubstantial Spirit, the sound of His lips: Because you did not receive the spirit of slavery to live again in fear, but you received the Spirit of sons as sons, by whom we cry: Abba, Father (Rom. 8:15) 2504. Therefore the truth speaks through His mouth: receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; on whomever you leave it, it will remain on him (John 20:22–23) 2505. But! the terror of the converted turns into strength; because when they punish their sins by repentance, they rise up to execute judgment, receiving this power from God, and which they themselves first used, trembling with fear in His hands. For they actually become judges who greatly feared the judgment of heaven; and now they begin to forgive the sins of others, those who formerly feared their own would be preserved. But since this judgment which occurs on the spiritual plane is not now clearly seen on the carnal plane, there are some who believe that God does not care about human affairs and think that they are governed by chance. The following is rightfully held against them: Verse 3. He himself watches under all the heavens, and His light covers the ends of the earth (Job.37:3) 2506. 35. As if it were clearly said: He who rules over the highest things does not abandon even the most distant ones. For His watchful management is directed as much to the greatest matters as to the least. For He Who is present everywhere, and everywhere equally, cannot be different from Himself, even in different circumstances. He equally touches all things, is equally present in all things, and although He is present in all places, He is not confined to any particular ones and does not differ from Himself, even while He is in different places. But if we understand by heaven the holy preachers (as the prophet testifies, who says: The heavens preach the glory of God;) (Ps. 19:2) 2507, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, signified by the “sound of the mouth,” he also rightfully includes: He himself watches under all the heavens, and His light covers the ends of the earth. 36. There are some who, when they hear about the great works of the Apostles (that they raised the dead by the Holy Spirit which they received, cast out demons from those possessed, predicted future events by prophecy and preached the Only Begotten Word of God in the language of all nations), because they do not see this power at present in the Church, they suspect that the grace of heaven has already been taken away from the Church, forgetting to take into account what is written: A Helper in time of need, in sorrow (Ps.9:9) 2508. The Holy Church requires the help of miracles when the sorrow of persecution and oppression sets in. For after she has overcome the pride of unbelief, she no longer requires signs of miracles, but only works of faith, and she shows many such people. For it is written: Tongues are a sign, not for those who believe, but for those who do not believe (1 Cor. 14:22) 2509. Where all are true, what can require a sign, to whom should it be shown? To some heads we may perhaps give greater satisfaction if we made some further reference to this dispensation. 37. For example, Paul, the famous preacher, having come to Melite, and knowing that the island was full of unbelievers, healed with his prayers Father Publius, suffering from dysentery and fever (Acts 28:8) 2510, and yet he advised Timothy when he was sick: drink a little wine, for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments (1 Timothy 5:23) 2511. Why, O Paul, did you heal a sick unbeliever with your prayers, and at the same time advise a faithful follower and defender of the Gospel to be treated like a doctor by changing his diet? Because external performances of miracles are needed so that the minds of people can be drawn inside the truth; so that through a visible miracle, people could believe in invisible truths that are much more significant than the miracle itself. For Father Publius, healing was to be a sign of strength so that he could be reborn internally, returning to bodily health through a miracle. But Timothy did not need any manifestation of an external miracle, because he was already full of life inside. Is it surprising, then, that miracles do not often occur when faith has already spread far, if even the Apostles themselves in their time did not show miracles in the cases of those who had already believed? The heavens are in the attention of the Lord, but He also pays attention to lower objects; because, when the greatest preachers are gone, He constantly considers with attention the humility of our infirmities. And His light covers, as it were, the ends of the earth that is under heaven; because after the sublime deeds of those who went before, He accepts the ways and deeds of even sinners, illuminating them with His grace. And although He now does not often show external miracles in the lives of believers, He does not abandon these believers with the virtue of works. Also, the fact that His light covers the ends of the earth can also be understood as the fact that while the preaching of heavenly grace gathers people to faith, He took into Himself all the boundaries of the world. 38. Or, of course, the ends of the earth signify the end of sinful man. And it often happens that many leave God and waste the time of their lives in carnal desires. But still, when the Divine Grace looks upon them, they turn to God in their final end, they learn that there is eternal judgment and punish with tears all the evil deeds that they have committed; and prove by righteous behavior that they have sincerely blamed their past actions. And when righteousness prevails, their former sin is, of course, completely forgiven. For Hannah speaks by the spirit of prophecy: The Lord will judge the ends of the earth (1 Samuel 2:10) 2512 because, undoubtedly, God does not judge the former life of sinners, when, by the expression of His love, He enlightens their last days. Therefore Moses says: the firstborn of donkeys will be exchanged for sheep (Exodus 13:13) 2513. For a donkey means uncleanness, and a sheep means innocence. The exchange of the firstlings of donkeys for sheep is to transform the originally unclean life into the simplicity of innocence so that sinners, after having committed these acts which the Lord rejects as unclean, can now exhibit such behavior as can be sacrificed to God. Because when a sinner is transformed after his sins, and finally emerges from the darkness of his atrocities, at the end of his life, it is rightly said, and His light covers the ends of the earth. But the grace that fills the mind after sins also brings grief. For it reveals atrocities in memory, and shows a person how justly he should be condemned. This is so that he may mourn with daily tears every sin he remembers committing, and be able to discern what is righteous, and more earnestly desire to punish his evil with groans of lamentation. Therefore it is rightly added: Verse 4. After him there is a roar (Job 37:4) 2514. 39. For the Lord undoubtedly turns the life of those whom He has filled with His illumination into sorrows; And the more He shows the enlightened mind eternal punishments, the more sorrow for His past atrocities disturbs it; and man grieves for what he was, because he now begins to see that there is goodness which he was not. He hates himself, from the moment he can remember. He loves only what he sees he should be; that is, he loves only the bitterness of repentance; because he carefully considers that in great joy he sinned through self-indulgence. Well, that’s why it’s said: after it a roar sounds. Because when God enters the mind, it is certainly clear that the sorrow of repentance immediately follows Him, so that the soul can now enjoy healthy sorrow, which was accustomed to rejoice in the iniquity of miserable joy. But through repentance the highest knowledge of the truth is achieved. Because the conscience, previously polluted, is renewed by the baptism of tears to contemplate the light within. Therefore, after the words about the roar of repentance, it is rightly added: He will thunder with the voice of His majesty (Job 37:4) 2515. 40. For God thunders with the voice of His greatness when He makes known to us, who are already prepared with sorrow, how great He is in His highest deeds. A voice thunders from heaven when the glance of grace strikes us, slumbering in carelessness and neglect, with sudden fear; and, lying on the ground, we hear a sound from above: thinking only about earthly things, we are suddenly afraid of punishment from above; and our mind, which is accustomed to slumber carelessly in the embrace of evil in lower objects, is now correctly alarmed and preoccupied with higher objects. But we will not know when this horror of a secret visit will enter us: and we will not be able to discern with our eyes whose purpose is to change for the better. Therefore it is added: And He will not be asked when His voice is heard (Job 37:4) 2516. 41. The voice of the Lord is heard when the breath of His grace touches the mind; when the insensibility of our inner hearing is pierced, and the heart, in zeal for noble love, is pierced by the voice of inner strength. But even the mind, which has been enlightened by the voice of the Spirit, cannot trace the penetration into the very ears of the heart. For he is unable to consider and realize how this invisible energy flows into him, how it comes or retreats. Hence it is well said by John: The Spirit breathes where it wants, and you hear its voice, but you do not know where it comes from and where it goes (John 3:8) 2517, for to hear the voice of the Spirit is to be inflamed with love for the invisible Creator through the power of your inner conscience. But, no man knows where He comes from; because we do not know at what moment and how it will pour out on us through the lips of preachers. And no one knows where He is going; because when many hear the same sermon, it is certainly impossible to understand whom exactly He passes by and discards, and into whose hearts He enters and takes His rest. For even to those to whom this penetration occurs, it does not happen in the same way: for He who invisibly changes visible things secretly germinates seeds in the hearts of men. Therefore it happened, for example, that when Lazarus was raised from the dead, at that time even more Jews were awakened to jealousy in persecution of this Sunday (John 12:10-11) 2518. Behold, the same miracle shed the light of faith on some, and deprived others of the light of reason in the darkness of envy. Therefore, each of the thieves saw the same death of our Savior, the same as his own; but one was not afraid in his pride to attack Him in insolence, Him whom the other feared with reverence. In the same circumstances, their thoughts were not the same, because the internal Arbiter, through invisible changes, led to different things. And since these secret ways of breathing upon us cannot be comprehended by our thoughts, the traces of the divine voice are undoubtedly unknown to us. Therefore it is also added: Verse 5. God thunders marvelously with His voice (Job 37:5) 2519. 42. God thunders marvelously with His voice, for He penetrates into our hearts incomprehensibly to us, secretly with His power. For, although this frightens us with secret internal changes and shapes us in love, it happens somehow quietly, and we understand how ardently we should follow Him, but this impulse arises inside and does not sound in the voice. But this sounds the louder in us, the more completely the hearing of our heart becomes dulled to every external sound. That is why the soul, as soon as it returns to itself by this inner call, is surprised at what it hears, because it feels the power of a previously unknown conscience. And this admiration of hers is well described by Moses under the manna given from above. For the sweet food that is received from above was called “manhu”. And "manhu" means "what is it"? (Ex.16:15) 2520. And we say “what is this” when we are ignorantly surprised by something. The soul then receives manna from above when, awakened by the voice of repentance, it is surprised by this unusual form of inner nourishment; so that, filled with Divine sweetness, she rightly says “what is this”? For when she refrains from thinking about low objects, she feels an extraordinary miracle from what she sees from above. And as the habits of our former life are changed, when the deafness of our sleep is broken by this voice, so that the soul, inspired by the Spirit from above, desires the high things which it despised, and despises the low ones which it formerly desired, rightly partakes: Who does great and mysterious things (Job.37:5) 2521. 43. For this man, who was turned to earthly objects, and was overcome by sinful desires, suddenly becomes committed to new activities and cold to his former habits, he abandons worries about external things, and strives for internal contemplation; Who can consider how the power of the voice from above does this? who can understand how this happens? Great are the things that the voice of God does; and they would probably be less great if they could be explored by us. He does, therefore, great and inscrutable things: because He manifests outwardly the result of His works, but how these things are done is hidden inside. He sounds from the outside with His voice, through the Apostles, but He illuminates the hearts of the listeners from within, from Himself: as Paul testifies, who says: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. Therefore, he who plants and he who waters is nothing, but God who increases everything (1 Cor. 3:6–7) 2522. But if they themselves do not awaken within our minds the hearing of the Divine voice, they still address us with words from without. Therefore it is added: Verse 6. Who commands the snow to descend upon the earth, and the rains of winter, and the downpours of His power ( Job 37:6 ) 2523? 44. The Psalmist says about this: you will wash me, and I will be whiter than snow (Ps. 50:9) 2524. What do we mean by snow in this place, if not that the hearts of the saints were made white by the light of truth? The waters freeze in the heights to become snow. But when this snow falls to the ground, it turns back into liquid water. Therefore the waters are the minds of preachers; who established themselves in high things when they lifted themselves up to contemplate celestial objects. And when they go forward in considering high things, they gain the power of consolidation. But since they still remain on earth by their love for their brothers, they lower themselves from these heights of understanding and, preaching humbly to the weak, they melt like snow and give water to thirsty hearts. Snow falls to the ground when the high hearts of the saints, already established in the heights of contemplation, descend in humble words of preaching through love for the brothers. For, just as snow covers the earth when it lies on it and waters it when it melts, so the virtue of the saints protects the life of sinners by its power of unity with God, but in their humility melts as it was and waters the thirsty earth to bear its fruits. Water first rises from the earth into the sky, in order to subsequently return through showers from the heights back to the earth from the sky; also holy people rise upward by their virtues, out of fear, and seeing the weakness of others. The water then, indeed, returns back to the earth from which it rose into the sky, when the righteous, compassionate with sinners, do not cease to remember that they were the same. Paul, for example, was water in the earth when he studied the Law. But when raised to heavenly knowledge, he was transformed into snow; because he transformed his former weak knowledge into categories of true wisdom; and yet, in compassion for his brothers, he returned like snow to the earth. For even after his heights of virtue, he acknowledges how unworthy he is, saying: who was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor (1 Tim. 1:13) 2525. This is how carefully he reminds of his own weakness in order to bear with dispassion the weaknesses of others. For Paul returned like water from heaven to the earth from which he had been raised, when, after the great mysteries of contemplation, he remembered that he was a sinner, in order that sinners might benefit from the example of his humility. Let's see, because this water that turns into solid snow is approaching the highest. He says: If we lose our temper, it is for God (2 Cor. 5:13) 2526, and let us see how the snow returns to the earth to melt and water it: he says: if you are calm as ice, then it is for your good (2 Cor. 5:13) 2527. Let us see which hand guides it, and lifts it up when it is down, and brings it down again when it is raised. He says that: The love of Christ compels us (2 Cor. 5:14) 2528 because, therefore, the love of Christ, which raises the minds of the Saints to heaven, molds them by its careful management into a humble descent for the love of the brethren. Therefore, he correctly said: Who commands the snow to descend to the earth, and where he correctly added: and the rains of winter and the showers of His power. 45. For the present life is truly winter: in which, although even now hope lifts us to higher things, the cold stupor of our mortality still binds us. Because it is written: for the corruptible body burdens the soul, and this earthly church suppresses the over-anxious mind (Wis.9:15) 2529. But the rains in winter are undoubtedly the sermons of preachers. Moses truly said about this rain: let my speech be expected like rain, and my words fall like dew (Deut. 32:2) 2530. These rains are certainly suitable for winter, and cease in summer; because now, the heavenly life is hidden from carnal eyes, and it is necessary that the dew be poured out on us by the preaching of holy men. But when the heat about eternal judgment has already flared up, no one is looking for the words of preachers as a necessity. Because everyone returns to his conscience, waiting for the judge to come to understand what is sacred when he can no longer fulfill it, and learns from punishment the rightness that he should have sought before. Therefore the prophet said well: gather them together as a flock for sacrifice, and sanctify them on the same day of slaughter (Jer. 12:3) 2531. For the reprobate are sanctified on the day of death, for then they perceive the holiness which they were to exercise, when they can no longer escape the punishment which they deserve by their uncleanness. But since the holy sermon, that is, the rains in winter, ceases with the onset of real life, to that soul that departs and hurries to the summer lands of eternal happiness, he correctly said in the voice of the Bridegroom: Arise, my beloved, my beautiful, come out!: Behold, winter has already passed; the rain has passed, it has stopped (Song. 2:10–11) 2532. For when the winter passes, the rain goes away: since the present life is ended, in which the torpor of corruptible flesh has surrounded us with a fog of ignorance, and all preaching ceases. For then we will see clearly with our own eyes what we now hear more vaguely through the voices of the saints. Therefore, the Lord commands the snow and rain in winter to descend on the earth, while He directs the hearts of the saints to the ministry of preaching, for the correction of sinners, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And after this it was rightly added: and showers of His power. 46. The shower of God's power is the preaching of His Godhead; the shower of His weakness is the preaching of His human nature, which Paul spoke about: the weaknesses of God are stronger than men (1 Cor. 1:25) 2533. And again: although He was crucified in weakness, He lives by the power of God (2 Cor. 13:4) 2534. But holy people also preach the weakness of His human nature, and also pour rain into the hearts of their listeners about the power of His Divinity. Let us hear, through the thunder clouds, the downpour of His power: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1) 2535. Let us also listen to the rain of His infirmity: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14) 2536. Let us listen to the shower of His power: All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. What was done in Him was life (John 1:3) 2537. Let us also listen to the rain of His infirmity: He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him (John 1:11) 2538. He commands a shower of His power to descend upon the earth, because He, preaching to us the weakness of His human nature through the voices of His saints, also reveals to us the wonderful power of His Divinity. But when we hear the power of our Creator, fear appears in our hearts from such greatness of the Judge above us, and we look at what we have done worthy and what (much more often) unworthy. Therefore it goes well: Verse 7. Who puts a seal on the hand of every man, that all men may know their works (Job 37:7) 2539. 47. For people despise thinking about the sins they commit. But when they hear the power of heavenly severity, they discern this burden of wrongdoing that drags them down. Being awakened by the words of the sermon, they see what punishments they have deserved by their past actions. When the shower of His power descends upon the earth, a seal is placed on the hands of each of them, so that they may know their deeds; because when the power of His Incomprehensible Majesty is recognized by man, everyone begins to weigh his own life much more carefully. 48. But it can also be understood in another sense. For the Almighty Creator created man as a rational being, which differs from all others, devoid of meaning and reason, so that he would not remain ignorant of what he himself does. For he is forced, by the law of nature, to realize how he acts: right or wrong. For how could he stand trial for his conduct if he did not know what he had done? And therefore even they, who despise being taught the commandments of the Lord, know whether the things they do are good or evil. For if they do not know what they do well, then why do they ostentatiously boast about these deeds of theirs? Again, if they don't know what they are doing wrong, why do they shy away from prying eyes in these very matters? Because they are witnesses to themselves and they know what they are doing is wrong and therefore they are ashamed to be noticed by others. For if they did not really believe that it was wrong, they would not be afraid of being noticed by others. Therefore, according to the definition of the sage, it is well said: When evil is afraid, it bears evidence of its own condemnation (Wis.17:10) 2540. For if fear attacks and convicts the conscience of what has been done, this is evidence against oneself, confirmation that the behavior deserves condemnation. Therefore John said: if our heart does not condemn us, then we have boldness towards God (1 John 3:21) 2541. Let the evil ones avoid human eyes; they certainly won't be able to escape themselves anyway. For they know the sin they commit, they have their conscience as a witness, they have their reason as a judge. In the sins, therefore, which they commit, they first receive the condemnation of their mind against themselves, and subsequently the severity of eternal judgment. And this, perhaps, is what the psalmist said: The abyss calls to the abyss with the voice of Your waterfalls (Ps. 41:8) 2542 because when, by the wondrous course of the secret dispensation, the evil that is being committed still remains unknown, the sinner condemns himself in his conscience to his own judgment, and afterward his own condemnation hastens to the judgment of the eternal Judge. “The deep calls to the deep” means the transition from one judgment to another. Let holy preachers therefore condemn the behavior of sinners, but let evil listeners despise the words of the righteous. Let them defend their wickedness as much as they please, and multiply their shameless deeds with even more shameless defense. They are, of course, witnesses to themselves in their conscience. For in the very fact that God created man as a rational being, he sets a seal on the hands of all men, so that each may know his own affairs. But because Elihu expresses his opinion about the sinfulness of men one after another, he turns his thoughts to the author of iniquity himself, which means that every single evil takes its origin from him; because he has attacked in these verses the members of the head of evil, he also briefly describes the chapter itself. Or of course, because he mentioned above the virtues of the clouds of God, he now proposes to consider also the attacks of the enemy on the lives of the righteous. Verse 8. The beast goes into hiding and remains in its den (Job.37:8) 2543. 49. Who else is meant by the name of the beast, except our ancient enemy, who cruelly aimed at deceiving the first man, and broke the integrity of his life with evil advice? against whose actions the words of the prophet promised the restoration of the primary state in the Church for the elect: and no wild beast will pass through it. But when, after the coming of the Redeemer, after the voices of the preachers, after the thunder, as it were, from heaven, this beast seizes this damned man, the Antichrist, what else does he do if he does not enter his refuge, to remain in his den? For this is the ship of the devil - the lair and shelter of the beast, and lying in ambush in the hunt for people who pass along the road of this life, he attracts their attention with his miracles, and kills them with his malice. But yet he possesses even now the hearts of all the outcasts, before he manifests himself openly; and occupies them with his secret malice, as if they were his own lair; and hides in the mind in order to carry out all the evil that he wants to do against righteousness. Were not the hearts of the persecuting Jews the lair of this beast? Hearts in which he had been hiding in secret for a long time, but suddenly burst out with the voices of those who shouted: crucify, crucify? ( John 19:6 ) 2544 and because he could not achieve in his temptation to wound the mind of our Redeemer, he consented to His death in the flesh. This beast undoubtedly possessed the hearts of many, but the Lamb, by His death, drove him out of them. Where does he come from in the Gospel: now the prince of this world will be cast out (John 12:31) 2545. For He, by a wonderful and righteous judgment, was enlightened and accepted the confession of humility, He left and closed the eyes of pride. Whence the psalmist told Him: Thou hast appointed darkness, and it has become night, through which all the beasts of the forest shall pass: young roaring lions seize their prey and seek food from God (Ps. 103:20-21) 2546. For God has the right to appoint darkness when, in retribution for sins, He denies the light of His wisdom. And this is done at night, because the minds of wicked people are blinded by the mistakes of their own ignorance. Through which all the animals of the forest will pass, when evil spirits, hiding under the darkness of lies, will pass through the hearts of the outcast, embodying their evil goals. In which also young lions roar, because spirits rise up with annoying temptations, like servants of evil. But they seek food from God, because, no doubt, they are not able to catch souls unless, in the righteous judgment of God, they allow them to prevail over them. There it is correctly added: The sun rose and they gathered and lay down in their dens (Ps. 103:22) 2547 because when they are driven out of the consciousness of believers by the light of Truth revealed in the flesh, they return, as it were, to their dens and remain only in the hearts of unbelievers. What is called the lion's roar there is called the den of the beast here. 50. But I think it should be specially noted that this beast is said to not only enter his lair, but to remain in it. For he sometimes enters even the minds of the righteous, he suggests unlawful thoughts, he wearies them with temptations, he tries to turn them away from the pure spirit to the pleasure of the flesh; he strives to obtain consent to this delight. But he is also kept from a dominant position by help from above. He can enter, therefore, into the consciousness of the righteous, but cannot abide in it, because the heart of the righteous is not the lair of this beast. For he undoubtedly abides and occupies the minds of those whom he possesses as his own den: because he first leads from thoughts to evil desires, and then leads their evil desires to the commission of even the most sinful acts. For the rejected do not seek to repel with the righteous hand of judgment the proposals of the one whose desires they are willing to yield to in submissive delight. And when any evil thoughts arise in their hearts, they cherish them at once with the zeal of delight; and when resistance is not shown to it, it is immediately strengthened by mutual agreement and agreement is instantly transferred to external action, and external action is also aggravated by habit. Therefore it is well said of this beast that he dwells in his cave, because he not only enters the thoughts of the outcasts, but he also dwells in their lives with the bites of evil deeds. Where does the Lord also speak to Judah through the prophet: How long will wicked thoughts abide in you (Jer. 4:14) 2548? For He does not blame them for the fact that these thoughts came, but He blames them for the fact that they remain there. Illegal thoughts come even to a good heart, but they are forbidden to remain there; because the righteous, in order to save the house of conscience from being captured, drives away the enemy from the very threshold of the heart. And even if he ever somehow secretly sneaked a sudden proposal to the threshold, he does not pass through the gates of consent. It was to this beast, undoubtedly, that Peter, overcome by the impulse of sudden fear, opened the gates of his heart with his renunciation, but quickly realizing that the gates had been opened, he closed them with tears (Luke 22:57-62) 2549. But since the ancient enemy not only entered and occupied the hearts of the persecutors, but also possessed them, let it be justly said: The Beast goes into hiding and remains in its den. For we learn how long he lived in the minds of the Jews when we hear about their plans, based on the testimony of the narrative of the Gospel. For this is described with what severity they raged and demanded His death, when they looked upon our Lord; how many insidious and evil plans they ardently wanted to carry out against Him, but they were afraid of the people; how many opportunities they looked for to kill Him, and could not find; how many other people's hands they have used by cunning to realize their cruel desires; because they gave Him up to be killed by the pagans, Him whom they themselves were not able to legally put to death, in order that the Roman governor could carry out what was in his power, and which they insisted on, simply from their malice. Therefore it is also added: Verse 9. The storm will come out of the inner parts and the cold from Arcturus (Job.37:9) 2550. 51. When Scripture mentions the interior parts in contrast to Arcturus, He designates the south as a part of the world, in contrast to the north as a part of the world. Therefore it is written in the same book: You created Arcturus, and the Orions and the inner parts of the South (Job.9:9) 2551. Because the sun penetrates with greater warmth the inner parts of the south, but does not extend its rays to the north (towards Arcturus). The words "internal parts" in this place denote the Jewish people, but the term "Arcturus" denotes the people of the Gentiles. For those who knew the One invisible God, and obeyed His Law, at least in outward manifestation, were preserved, as it were, in the warmth of faith, as under the light of the southern sun. But since the pagans had not achieved any knowledge of heavenly wisdom, they were left, indeed, in the cold, without the sun, in the north. But since the storm drives, and the cold oppresses with torpor, it is rightly said: The storm will come out of the inner parts and the cold from Arcturus. As if it were clearly said: From the Jews arises evil persecution, and from the Gentiles oppression by power. For the commandments of the Law do not prohibit showing miracles, and yet the Jews sought the opportunity to kill the Redeemer of the human race because of these very miracles. And as they failed to carry out what they had begun, they flocked to Pilate's hall, that he, whom no law restrained, might himself put Him to death. The storm will come from the inner parts and the cold from Arcturus, while the judge of the pagans accomplished with the power of Rome what the Jews asked in envy. Therefore it is good to talk about this same envy: Verse 10. When God breathes, the ice freezes (Job 37:10) 2552. 52. Because when the Holy Spirit breathed on the hearts of believers and gave miracles of power, envy grew even more in the withered hearts of the infidels; and the unbelieving people became bitter against God for the same reasons that humble people softened their obstinacy. For when God blew on them, they were turned into ice, those who were jealous of the miracles they witnessed: behold, the whole world is coming after him (John 12:19) 2553. They saw the signs and wonders performed by His followers, and saw that the whole world was now going to follow the preaching of the faith; and yet, the more the Holy Spirit filled the world, the more firmly was the evil intent of envy chaining their minds. The water therefore turned to ice while withered Judah was still envying and the whole world was gathering around God. But since the Divine Power was sufficient to soften even so great cruelty, and to melt the hearts of unbelievers with His love, immediately after the words about ice, he well adds: And the water flowed again in abundance (Job 37:10) 2554. 53. The Lord indeed poured out water in abundance after this ice; after He had endured the firmness of the Jews, even to His death, He immediately melted their hearts from the firmness of unbelief with the breath of His love, so that they could then obey Him the more willingly, the more persistently they had previously opposed Him. Therefore, it is well said by the sage: like ice in good weather, so should your sins melt (Sir.3:15) 2555. The Prophet wished to be free from the ice of this torpor when he says: Bring back our captives, O Lord, like a stream in the South (Ps. 125:4) 2556. About these waters, that is, the people who gathered together with the Lord, he again said: He will send His Word, and melt them: His breath will blow, and the water will flow (Ps. 147:7) 2557. Waters also flow from ice, because many great preachers are converted from hardened persecutors. The ice therefore melts and turns into water when the numbness of the inner cold changes to the irrigation of the sermon. Was not Paul ice when, on his campaign to Damascus, after he had received the messages, he strives to pluck out the seeds of the word of God, which were scattered in the hearts of believers, as if on earth, so that they would not germinate to the perfection of good works (Acts 9:2) 2558? But this ice turned to water, because he then poured streams of holy instruction on those whom he had previously tried to oppress with persecution, so that a more abundant harvest of the elect would arise. Behold, the water of God's irrigation flows even from the mouth of a former persecutor. Therefore it goes well: Verse 11. The grain desires the cloud (Job 37:11) 2559. 54. For who are all the elect, if not the grain of God, which will be stored in the heavenly storehouses? Which are now separated from the chaff in the threshing on the floor; because in this cleansing of the Holy Church they still carry the habits of the rejected, until the inner Husbandman separates them with the wind of His judgment and receives His elect, like grain that has just now been cleansed, into the heavenly abodes, consigning the chaff to eternal fire. Hence it is well said by John: His shovel is in His hand, and He will carefully clear His threshing floor and gather the wheat into His barn, and He will give up the tares to unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:12) 2560, but this grain, until it reaches the perfection of its fruit, seeks rain from the clouds in order to grow. Because the minds of good people are watered with the words of preachers, so that the sun of carnal desires does not dry up the moisture of mercy. The Heavenly Husbandman has already seen how this grain grows in the world, and how it longs for the clouds, when He says: the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest (Matthew 9:37–38) 2561. Therefore, those who are called “grain” there are called “harvest” here, but they who are called “clouds” there are called “laborers” here, because the holy preachers are both clouds and laborers; clouds through their teachings, workers through their lives; clouds because they flow into us with their words, doers because they never stop doing what they say. Therefore it is added: And the clouds scatter their light (Job 37:11) 2562. 55. For the clouds that scatter their light signify holy preachers who spread examples of behavior far across the earth, both in their words and in their deeds. But although they scatter the light of their inner message, they do not achieve the conversion of all the hearts they desire. Therefore it is added: Verse 12. Which all things pass in a chain whither the will of the Ruler leads them (Job.37:12) 2563. 56. For holy preachers often want to call certain specific people, but are unable to do so. Or they want to avoid the call of some people, but still, out of an irresistible impulse inside, they admonish them. Let us look at the cloud of God as it is led by the hand of Him who directs it, even to those things for which it does not strive, and, again, restrained from its own impulses by the hand of Him who controls it. When Paul trembled and wanted to leave the Corinthians, he really heard: do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will harm you, I have many people in this city (Acts 18:9-10) 2564. Again, when he wanted to go to the Thessalonians, he turned back and said: I wanted to come to you, I am Paul, again and again, but Satan prevented me (1 Thess. 2:18) 2565. After all, Satan, in fact, could not prevent the campaign of such a mighty Apostle; but, acting as if against it, he ignorantly contributed to a secret dispensation so that Paul, while he wanted to visit other people, would not be able to do this, and, perhaps, would give a more necessary benefit to those from whom he did not leave. The clouds of God, therefore, go round all things in the chain, because they illuminate the ends of the world with the teaching of the sermon. But since, being the subject of the Divine will, they cannot carry out their own wishes, they cannot go anywhere except when the will of the ruler leads them. Therefore, with great emphasis it is added: To every thing that He commands them to do on the face of the earth (Job 37:12) 2566. 57. For often, when they are governed by the will of their Ruler, they strive to do one thing, but are redirected by Him to another. For they often wish to correct some of their hearers with soft speech, and yet their speech turns into harsh ones. Or they tend to be very strict with others, but yet their energy is tempered by a spirit of meekness. And therefore, just as they cannot go where they want, so they cannot act as they want. For just as the internal Judge holds them when He sends them, so He changes their intentions when He brings them, so that sometimes they have one thing in their mind, but embody quite another in their will; they sometimes start in one direction and end in the other. And because they serve in accordance with what they are commanded, let it be said: wherever the will of the Ruler leads them, to every thing that He commands them to do on the face of the earth. For in their preaching they are guided not by their own will, but by the will of their Teacher. Therefore it is added even more fully: Verse 13. In one tribe, or in His land, or in another place, by His mercy He will cause them to be found (Job 37:13) 2567. 58. One tribe of Judah, of course, is meant, which is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures clearly and repeatedly, much more often than others. It received a special, highest gift, because it brought from itself the flesh of our Redeemer. But all Judea together is called the land of the Lord (Deut. 32:42) 2568, because then it produced the fruits of faith for Him, when the whole pagan world was mistakenly worshiping idols. But the place of God's mercy is the pagan world itself, because if a strict Judge had justly punished the infidels, they would never have received the reconciliation of grace. For, when the pagan world still had no merit before God, it received the grace of reconciliation by His only mercy. Hence Paul said well that: the Gentiles should praise God for His mercies (Rom. 15:9) 2569. From here it is also written: at one time they received no mercy, but now they have obtained mercy (1 Peter 2:10) 2570. God, therefore, brings His clouds, either in one tribe, or in his own country, or, in the place of his mercy, when he rules, they will be found because in his time he placed the preachers of the Old and New Testaments on the tribes of Judah, and rejected almost all Israel of the evil rule of their kings. In due time, He sends these clouds of rain to His land, when He called the entire people of Israel and returned to them His former mercy after correction in captivity. Then He commanded them to shine in the place of His mercy; because He made the holy preachers known even to the pagans by the miracles of His power in order, by His mercy, to free from the yoke of error those who in His wrath were bowing down under the burden of unbelief. Behold, Elihu perceived future events in the spirit of prophecy, because he uttered many sublime truths; but the haughty man, weary with the weight of his pride, is unable to bear the burden of what he says. For he immediately adds boastfully: Verse 14. Listen to these things, Job, stand still and understand the wonderful works of God (Job 37:14) 2571. 59. He saw him lying down, compared with himself standing, pronouncing the words of such a great sermon. Although even with this word, “Listen,” which he uses, he deals a serious insult to Job: because, as we said about him earlier, it is arrogance for a subordinate to demand that his superior listen. But although Elihu does not take into account to whom he speaks the truths he speaks, we who seek to know all things must carefully study the words of his teaching. For this is said with great skill in virtue: stand and understand the wonderful works of God. There are some who understand the works of God as if lying down; because they do not follow this understanding in their affairs. For “to stand” means to act righteously. Where did Paul say: Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Cor. 10:12) 2572. And they often really admire the judgment of heaven, talk about the love of their heavenly country when they hear about it, they admire the wonder of His dispensation, but they still neglect to put these words of love into practice in their deeds. Therefore they lie down and consider the wonderful works of God, those who think about the power of God in their understanding, but do not love Him in the affairs of their lives. They turn, in fact, into eyes when examined and pondered, but have not yet risen from the ground in their intentions. Therefore it is well said in reproach of Balaam: who falls with his eyes open (Numbers 24:4) 2573. For he had spoken many things about the coming of the Redeemer, and foresaw what things would happen in the last days. But still he does not want to rise to Him in his life, to the One whom he foresaw and declared. He lay then, and his eyes were open, when the prophecy was directed into his mind to lift him to heaven, but greed did not let him go from the earth. He lay there and his eyes were open, because he was able to contemplate Him above, Whom he did not want to bow to in his deeds. Elihu, therefore, does not believe that blessed Job confirmed in the deeds of his life what he confessed, and says, as if advising him: stand and understand the wonderful works of God. He still seems to be testing him, and adds, as if humiliating him for his ignorance: Verse 15. Do you know when the Lord commands the rains to show the light of His clouds (Job 37:15) 2574? 60. If the “clouds” are the holy preachers, then the rain from the clouds are the words of their sermon. But when clouds fly through the air, unless it rains, we do not know how much water they carry. And if a glimmer of sun does not break through the flow of rain, we also will not be able to understand what brightness they hide behind them. Because, without a doubt, if holy preachers are silent, and do not show by their words how great the brightness of the heavenly hope they carry in their hearts, they seem to be like other people, and often even more insignificant than others. But when they discover through preaching that reward of the heavenly country which they possess within; when, oppressed by persecution, they show the height of their fortress; when, being outwardly insignificant, one of their words gives rise to reverent fear in others; at this time, the rains that pour from the clouds show us the light behind them. For we learn, from the words of the preachers, with what great humility they honor the light of the life they seek. Paul certainly showed this light to his disciples when he said: That ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of His glorious inheritance for the saints, and how exceedingly great is the greatness of His power among us who believe (Eph. 1:18-19) 2575 . The Corinthians recognized this light from the words of his writings, like drops of rain, when it was said to them: in his epistles he is strict and powerful, but in his personal presence both he and his speech are weak (2 Cor. 10:10) 2576. But holy preachers often want to manifest themselves in order to do good, but are not yet ready for this, and vice versa, they often want to be hidden in order to live quietly, but this is not allowed to them. No one, therefore, knows when the rains will usher in the light of the clouds, because no one understands when God grants the virtue of preaching so that the glory of the preachers may shine forth. He says, therefore: Do you know when the Lord commands the rains to show the light of His clouds? It’s as if he said directly: if you see a preacher come into this world, do you understand when God will call him to preach, filling him with the Holy Spirit, or when and how He will show his light in the world? Therefore it is also added: Verse 16. Do you know the great ways of the clouds, and their perfect knowledge (Job 37:16) 2577? 61. These clouds follow very subtle paths, namely, the paths of holy preaching. For narrow is the gate that leads to life (Matthew 7:14) 2578. They are then limited to these narrow paths, when they do not deviate from the path of their destination, when they do not go to wander through the wide worldly desires. For the strict restrictions of a holy life are not a broad way, but a way in which every preacher is carefully limited: because he is carefully surrounded by the protection of keeping the commandments. For isn’t this really a narrow path: to live, indeed, in this world, but to have no desire for this world; do not look for other people's things, do not save your own; to despise the glory of the world; love reproaches for God's sake; to avoid glory seek contempt; love your neighbors; to expel from our hearts resentment towards those who have caused pain, and preserve the unchanging grace of love in our hearts for them? Everything we have listed is the path to eternal glory. The narrower they are in this life, guarding our behavior, the greater and broader they are in eternal reward. Therefore it goes well: And their perfect knowledge (Job.37:16) 2579. 62. For it is indeed perfect knowledge and wisdom for a man to follow these things with the care of a physician, and yet know that he is nothing in his desires. Therefore even the clouds are taught this perfect wisdom when it is said to them by the voice of truth: When you have done all these things that I commanded you, say, we are servants (Luke 17:10) 2580. For perfect wisdom is to know all things, and yet, in a certain sense, to remain ignorant of our knowledge, by which we already know the commandments of God, and now weigh with anxious attention the power of our word, and do the things which we think we understand to be right; but we still do not know how the strict court will evaluate these matters in the future, and we have not contemplated the face of God, nor seen His hidden plans. And is our knowledge great, which, under the yoke of a mortal body, is obscured by the fog of its own uncertainty? Paul spoke well about them: He who thinks that he knows something still knows nothing as he ought to know (1 Cor. 8:2) 2581. While we live, therefore, in this world, we know perfectly well what we should know, but when we develop in wisdom, we learn that we do not know anything perfectly. He says, therefore: Do you know the great paths of the clouds, and their perfect knowledge? It was as if he had openly said: you now see the noble deeds of preachers who, after being elevated to the heights of wisdom, have bowed themselves low through the knowledge of their ignorance. But since it is a gift of the Holy Spirit, when the heart of man is well aware not only of knowledge, but also of his ignorance; and that it glows with ardent love for things above, and at the same time considers here below that its knowledge is worthless, rightfully included: Verse 17. Isn't your clothing warm when the wind blows from the South (Job 37:17) 2582. 63. We have said more than once that blessed Job often means the Holy Church. But all of them who joined her in the unity of faith are one Church. The Lord speaks about them in the same Church through the prophet, who, as I live, you must be clothed in clothing, in all this, as in decoration (Is. 49:18) 2583. But under the wind from the south, which is undoubtedly warm, is designated, quite rightly, the Holy Spirit, which, having touched anyone, frees him from the stupor of his iniquity. Hence it is well said in the Song of Songs: The wind will rise from the north and come from the south, blow upon my garden, and its fragrance will flow (Song 4:16) 2584! For the north wind is commanded to rise, so that surely the contrary spirit that binds the hearts of mortals may fly away. For the south wind comes and blows upon the garden, that sweet aromas may be felt; because, while the mind of man is filled with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the notion of his own dignity is soon carried away from him, so that the tongue of the saints, like a garden blown by the south wind, can now justly say: that we are to God as the fragrance of Christ (2 Cor. 2:15) 2585. The garments, therefore, of the Holy Church become warmer, while the earth is blown by the south wind; for those who cling to it by faith glow with the ardent zeal of charity, while their minds are filled with the breath of the Holy Spirit. But nothing prevents this understanding from understanding the blessed Job himself in this image; because we, speaking about these things in the Church as a whole, can also apply this understanding in relation to its individual members. 64. For each of them, who lives righteously and also teaches others, really has, like many clothes, listeners who cling to them with their agreement. For it is the nature of clothes that they cannot be warm in themselves. Only when applied to a living body do they cover the limbs and retain the heat that flows outward from within, and only from this heat do they themselves become warm. And when they become warm, they retain the heat they received and return it to the body. What do clothes sticking to a living body mean, if not the life of students closely united around a teacher who lives righteously? The student actually receives heat through the pores; because he was inflamed with love for God, both by the example of the teacher’s deeds and by the power of his preaching. And he actually drives out his own cold when he moves away from his former lawlessness and retains the warmth he received, because he retains strength in this warmth received from preaching. But when holy preachers believe that their hearers are moving towards the love of God, they themselves glow even more with the power of teaching, and, seeing that the disciples burn and glow for high objects, they themselves are more powerfully kindled to proclaim the joy of the heavenly country. And if at any moment, because they are still passing through the corruptible life of a weak person, they are attacked by some temptation in deed, word or thought, they look at the growth of their disciples, and they become ashamed that they themselves are guilty, even if it is the smallest matter: they correct themselves, so that by their crooked example they do not lead astray those whom they teach the rule of inner rightness with the voice of preaching. When the listeners are then ignited by the word of their teachers, the garments are actually heated by the living body. But when the behavior of teachers improves due to the growth of their students, the heat returns, indeed, so that the body warms itself even more from the clothes that were in a warm place. But let us not think that they see the growth of their disciples through their preaching; for unless the Holy Spirit fills their hearts, the voice of the teacher sounds in vain to the ears of the body. For teachers can make their voice speak, but cannot make an impression within the student; For neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but God who gives the increase is everything (1 Cor. 3:7) 2586. Let them say because: Don’t your clothes get warmer when the wind blows from the south? Because disciples who are currently supported by teachers who live righteously receive the warmth of heavenly love when they are awakened by the breath of the Holy Spirit. It was as if he were saving blessed Job by saying: You are in vain to appropriate this to yourself if you think that someone has achieved growth thanks to you; because they whom you support will not become warm from you, they will still remain cold in their insensibility if the warmth of the Holy Spirit does not touch them. But after he had said these things, he immediately added words of ridicule, being under the influence of frivolous arrogance, saying: Verse 18. Was it not you who by chance made the heavens with Him, solid as cast brass (Job 37:18) 2587. 65. By "heaven" can be understood those who are created in heaven, that is, angelic spirits. Therefore, we are taught with the voice of Truth to say in our prayer: Thy will be done both in heaven and on earth (Matthew 6:10) 2588, for the will of God is undoubtedly observed in all things, both in human weakness and in the creations above. He said well about the heavens that they are solid, like cast brass. Due to the nature of brass, it is almost resistant to rust. And the angelic powers, who stood fast in Divine love when the proud angels fell, received as their reward that they no longer succumbed to the rust of sin, and that they were still in the contemplation of their Creator in their infinite happiness, and existed in eternal immutability, in the way they were created. And the words of Moses about the history of the origin of the world testify that the heavens, as it is said, were created first, and only after that the firmament (Gen. 1:17) 2589. Because the nature of the Angels was created earlier and more subtle on high, and subsequently was even more amazingly strengthened by the fact that it can no longer descend. But, as we have said more than once, “heaven” can also be called the minds of the elect, raised up from all earthly pollution by inner love. For, although in the body they live on earth, yet, since they receive in their hearts, even now, higher objects, they actually say that their residence is in heaven (Phil. 3:20) 2590. Those are the most durable, as if cast from brass, because they have not been wasted from the integrity of their original strength, and have not received the rust of variability. Those to whom, boldly resisting adversity, He said, in the voice of His Creator: You are My friends, who have been with Me in My adversities (John 15:14; Luke 22:28) 2591. But although this trained and arrogant person, when trying to ridicule the holy man with a mixture of noble sayings and irony, still does not fall back from those noble sayings into empty words. For he again adds: Verse 19. Show us what to say to Him; for indeed we are in darkness ( Job 37:19 ) 2592 . 66. It is as if he were saying: You, Who reveal the great light of wisdom, must teach us who are immersed in the darkness of ignorance. But immediately returning to ridicule, he adds contemptuously: Verse 20. Who will tell Him what I say (Job 37:20) 2593? It was as if he had directly said: The unheard truths that I declare to Him, praising Him with keen feeling, who can repeat them, even after hearing them? But, since learning and arrogance coexist in the same mind, from the speaker’s lips there sounds not only frivolity of behavior, but also heaviness of feeling; after Elihu swelled up in the lightness of arrogance, saying, Who will tell Him what I say? He immediately introduces, thanks to his scholarship: If a person speaks, he must be consumed (Job 37:20) 2594. 67. Each thing that absorbs another thing turns it inward, and hides it from the eyes of the beholders, and hides deep down what could be seen on the surface. Man, therefore, when he is silent about God, appears to have something of the First Cause by which he was created. But if he begins to talk about God, a person immediately reveals himself as nothing; because he is swallowed up by the immensity of His greatness, and indeed, he hurries into the depths and hides himself. For he who wishes to speak of the Inexpressible is swallowed up in the narrowness of his own ignorance. For when the flesh speaks of the Spirit, it is a description of the Indescribable, a description of the Creator by the creature, a description of the Eternal by the temporal, a description by the changeable of the Unchangeable and by mortals of the Immortal. And since, being placed in darkness, he does not know the inner light, and this is in fact the case, a person who wants to talk about eternity speaks like a blind man about light. If a person speaks, then he must be absorbed: because if a person wants to talk about eternity as it is, he must tear out of himself even the meaning, the understanding that he has about it when he is silent. But here! eternity became truly known to men when He showed Himself to them by taking on the nature of man. But since this has not yet been revealed, it is rightly added by the same person: Verse 21. But now they do not see the light (Job 37:21) 2595. 68. Of this light, no doubt, it is said even through the prophet: the people sitting in darkness will see a great light (Is. 9:2) 2596, but he shows how this light can be seen by people when he immediately adds: The air will suddenly gather into clouds. For air is scattered due to its own lack of density, and cannot in any way be united into a dense substance. But the harder the clouds, the denser they are. What is meant by “air” if not the minds of worldly people, greedy for the countless desires of this life, which, being not dense, are dispersed here and there like air? But the air gathers into clouds when unstable minds, by the grace of the Divine connection, are strengthened by Him, and, thinking about what is righteous, they can gather themselves in the bosom of their hearts, and are not scattered in empty thoughts. 69. Peter was air when he was engaged in fishing for the life of the flesh, and he was accustomed, like the fickle wind, to be distracted by earthly desires. The apostles were born when they had already learned the sublime truths of the Law, but had not yet received strength by faith. But the air suddenly gathered into clouds, because by Divine grace, the unstable hearts of the fishermen were transformed into strong preachers so that their weak thoughts became stronger, became bold, and could, like clouds, hold the waters of wisdom and irrigate the earth lying beneath them with the words of their preaching; and when this service was completed, they were able to return to the secret mansions of heaven, and achieve, when their work was accepted, eternal rest. Therefore it is also immediately added: And the passing wind will carry them away. 70. For the wind that passes is this present life. The wind comes and carries the clouds away, because earthly life, passing by, hides the holy preachers from our bodily eyes. A fair wind carries away the clouds: due to the fact that temporary life is finite, the Apostles are withdrawn from the flesh, and are hidden from the surface of the earth, in secret peace, as if in the center of heaven. But since they do not cease to preach even after their death, and pass through the space of real life, like clouds, with the rain of their words, he adds what is precisely forged by their labors in the Holy Church, when he immediately says: Verse 22. Gold will come from the north (Job 37:22) 2597. 71. What is signified by “north” if not the pagan world bound in the cold of sin? Which he holds under the yoke of his tyranny, the one who proudly said: I will sit on the mountain of the covenant, in the north side, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High (Isa. 14:13-14) 2598. And what is meant by “gold” if not faithful souls? Jeremiah said about them: How does gold become dull? the best color fades ( Lamentations 4:1 ) 2599 ? He lamented that gold was fading because he saw how in some people the brightness of innocence turns into the blackness of sin. It is said that gold will come from the north, because, thanks to the grace of the Savior, the number of believers, which is a treasure before God, is increasing in the Holy Church from the pagan world, which was previously frozen in the stupor of unbelief. For gold comes from the north when true faith in God shines from the very worshipers of idols. But when the Gentiles were converted in the faith, the Jewish people stood up against them; and despised to acknowledge the reward of eternal rewards to those who had so long worshiped idols. Therefore they said to Peter, after the conversion of the Gentiles: Did you go to the uncircumcised men and eat with them (Acts 11:3) 2600? In refutation of them, the Lord rightly speaks through Isaiah: I will say in the north, “surrender,” and in the south, “do not hold back” (Is. 43:6) 2601. For just as the pagan world is designated by the “north,” so the Jewish people are designated by the “south,” which actually warms the sun towards midday, because when our Redeemer appeared in the flesh, the north first received the warmth of faith. “Surrender,” the north is told when the era of the pagan world ends, to offer their faith to God. But in regard to the south, the command was “not to restrain,” because the Jews, who stood firm in the faith, were commanded not to condemn the lives of the Gentiles. Therefore it is also said here: gold comes from the north; and rightly adds: And from God a fearful praise (37:22) 2602 . 72. Frightening praise, as it is said, will come from God, as if it were explicitly said: it will come from those who are on the side of God, that is, from believers. Gold comes from the north, and fearful praise comes from God; because, while the pagans showed the brightness of their faith, a multitude of faithful Jews praised the Divine judgments with fear. And how gold comes from the north, and how fearful praise breaks forth from those under God, sacred history itself tells us. For it is written: In Caesarea there was a certain man named Cornelius, a centurion from the regiment called Italian, who was pious and feared God with all his household, who gave much alms to the people and always prayed to God. In a vision, he clearly saw at about the ninth hour of the day an Angel of God who came to him and said to him: Cornelius! He looked at him and was frightened and said: What, Lord? The angel answered him: Your prayers and your alms have come as a memorial before God (Acts 10:1–4) 2603. Gold, therefore, came from the north, when prayer with alms rose from the pagans in the eyes of God. But when Peter told the brothers how Cornelius had seen an Angel, and how he himself had seen a linen cloth descending from heaven to him with beasts, and creeping things, and birds, and how the Holy Spirit had watered the hearts of the Gentiles even before baptism (Acts 11:5-17) 2604, which did not descend on the Jews in any way except after the water of baptism, he immediately wrote about this, and having heard these things, they They were silent and glorified God, saying: God has given also to the Gentiles repentance leading to life (Acts 11:18) 2605. Behold, the believers, who were for the salvation of the pagans, restrained themselves from indignation, admiring the gifts of heavenly grace, and in reverent fear they praised God. Peter himself also asks the question, saying: I have found, in truth, that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) 2606. 73. But when the pagans received faith, why is it said that fearful praise will come from those who are already believers, when it should supposedly come from them in joy and not in fear? But fearful praise came from the Jews, who already believed, upon the conversion of the Gentiles, doubtless because Judea was justly rejected, while the Gentiles received mercy; and it was terrible that their people were denied, while they saw the great calling of others. Therefore, we too, when we suddenly see that the evil one has risen to an unexpected exaltation of life, we daily praise with fear the secret judgment of God, how God's punishment, according to His secret judgment, punishes some whom people recognize as worthy, and how it calls to Himself in mercy those whom people consider unworthy. Verse 23. We cannot know Him enough ( Job 37:23 ) 2607 . 74. Even if we know Him now, it is not enough. For whatever we perceive in Him is by faith, and not by sight. But still he adds what he believes he has learned, saying: He is great in power, judgment and justice, and He cannot be expressed in words (Job 37:23) 2608. For He is great in power, because He overcomes a powerful adversary, taking from his house the vessels of dishonor, and transforming them into vessels of mercy (Matthew 12:29) 2609. Great judgment; because, although He here bends His elect under the weight of adversity, yet He raises them up at last in the glory of eternal prosperity. Great in justice: although He suffers the outcasts here for a long time, He finally condemns them forever. But this is well communicated: And it is impossible to express Him in words. For if a man cannot even sufficiently know Him, how much less can he say about Him? But we do a much better job of talking about Him if we keep our inner world in awe and awe as we think about Him. Therefore it is added: Verse 24. Therefore people will fear Him, and all who seem wise will not dare to contemplate Him (Job 37:24) 2610. 75. Elihu in this place calls those who are strong in understanding "people." And we must note that he does not say, “and the wise will not dare to behold Him,” but, he says, “those who seem to themselves to be wise.” By these words “seem to themselves,” he means those who are accurate in knowledge, but arrogant. Elihu, therefore, touched himself at the end of his speech. For when men who know doctrine are arrogant and do not live righteously, but are forced by doctrine to say the right thing, they become the mouthpieces of their own condemnation, because when they proclaim in their preaching what they despise to do, they proclaim with their voices that they are doomed. The psalmist said well about them: and their bows were crooked (Ps. 77:57) 2611. For, a crooked bow strikes the very person from whom it is directed: and the tongues of arrogant people in their utterances are like a crooked bow, since when they oppose pride, they direct their arrows at themselves. Therefore we must take special care that the wisdom we receive does not remove the light of humility when it illuminates the darkness of ignorance, otherwise it will no longer be wisdom. For, although it shines in the power of speech, it envelops the heart of the speaker with pride. 76. For some virtues are of a high nature, others are of a mixed nature. The highest virtues are faith, hope, love. And, if a person really possesses them, they cannot turn into evil. But prophecy, teaching, healing power, and other gifts are of a mixed nature. For they are located, as it were, between extremes, because with their help both the heavenly country and earthly glory can be sought. We call virtues of a mixed nature those by means of which we can direct our mind in different directions, depending on what it desires; those which the mind can use, if it possesses them, to achieve earthly riches. For through earthly riches, some are proud of what they possess, boasting, for example, of mercy towards their neighbors in need. And when, for example, through teaching and prophecy, external earthly glory is sought, this gift is aimed at increasing bodily wealth. But when doctrine and prophecy are used for the salvation of the soul, the wealth which we have received is distributed, as it were, among our needy brethren. Because the mind, through want of watchful care, keeps itself aloof from the hand of the Giver, by the very gifts which it has received, and of which it can boast, we must take care, with vigilant forethought, first to overcome our vices, and only then, with careful caution, to strengthen our gifts. For if the mind, having possessed them, carelessly abandons itself, it does not help or support them, but rejects them. Therefore it happens that when the virtue that we possess is used to achieve temporary glory, it is no longer virtue, because it is in the service of vice. For, since humility is the source of virtue, virtue will truly grow in us only if it remains firm in its righteous root, that is, in humility. For if virtue is torn from its root, it undoubtedly dies, because it loses the moisture of grace, which revives it from within. 77. But since the secret pride of the heart is visible in what Elihu says, and all who seem wise will not dare to contemplate Him, it will be useful to consider, for example, what rich gifts David received, and with all this, what steadfast humility he strengthened in himself. For who would not be swollen with pride if he: tore open the mouths of lions; defeated bears with his hands; would have been elected when his older brothers were considered weaker; was anointed to rule the kingdom when the king was rejected; killed Goliath, who was terrible for everyone, with one throw of a stone; brought back, after the destruction of foreigners, numerous circumcised ones, and finally received the promised kingdom and sole rule of the entire people of Israel without any refutation? And yet, when he brings back the ark of God to Jerusalem, he dances in front of the ark, mingling with the ordinary people, as if forgetting that he is chosen, that he is preferred, that he is above them all. And, despite the fact that it was the custom of common people to dance in front of the ark, the king also danced along with everyone else, in the service of God. This is how the one whom the Lord has preferred, specifically and above all, keeps himself under the Lord, even by equating himself with the most humiliated, and showing this by behavior. The strength of his reign did not resurface in his memory; he is not afraid of becoming despicable in the eyes of others by this dance; he does not remember that the One to whom this ark belongs has already given him high honor, preferred him, placed him above all others. Before God, he behaves like a commoner, strengthening with his humility the feats that he accomplished in the eyes of people. I don’t know what others think about his actions. I am more amazed by this dance of David than by the struggle and exploits. For by fighting he subdued his enemies; but, dancing before the Lord, he overcame himself. And when Michal, the daughter of Saul, still proud of her royal lineage, despised him, so humiliated, saying: How glorious was the king of Israel today, having exposed himself before the handmaidens of his servants, as the very last of them is exposed (2 Sam. 6:20) 2612, she immediately heard: As the Lord lives, I will play and dance before the Lord, who has chosen me, and not your father (2 Samuel 6:21) 2613. And a little after that he says: I will also humble myself, and become even more insignificant than I was, and I will be humble before my own eyes (2 Samuel 6:22) 2614. It’s as if he directly said: I seek to be less important in front of people, because I try to hold myself before the Lord through my humility. 78. But there are some who think humbly of themselves, because while they are in honor, they remember that they are nothing but dust and ashes. But still they shy away from appearing humiliated before people, and, contrary to what they think about themselves, they actually cover themselves with a hard cloak of outer beauty. And there are those who strive to appear humiliated before people, as if despising everything that they are, by demonstratively presenting themselves as modest. But at the same time they swell from the inside, as if from the merit that they have exposed themselves as modest; and they become more inflated in their hearts the more they think they have suppressed their pride. Both of these types of behavior are one sin of pride, which David discovered very carefully and overcame with strength. For he teaches that, although he thinks humbly of himself from the inside, he strives to look humiliated, saying that he will play and become even more insignificant. And since he does not swell with pride because he voluntarily agreed to look humiliated, he adds: and I will be humble before my own eyes. It is as if he were saying that just as I show myself humble on the outside, I keep myself just as humble on the inside. What should they do whom doctrine raises up in pride, if even David, knowing that our Redeemer should come from his flesh, and having declared such joy in prophecy, yet keeps the neck of his heart bowed down, pressing upon it with the power of humility, and saying, I will be humbled before my own eyes? 79. Well said, therefore, Elihu: Therefore men will fear Him, and all who seem wise to themselves will not dare to contemplate Him. For those who seem wise to themselves cannot contemplate the wisdom of God; because they are the more removed from His light, the more they are not humble in themselves. Because while the tumor of pride increases in their minds, it closes the eyes of contemplation, and, given that they are darkened by others, they deprive themselves of the light of truth. Therefore, if we strive to be truly wise, and to contemplate the wisdom within ourselves, let us humbly admit that we are fools. Let's throw away destructive wisdom, let's learn saving stupidity. For it is written that God has chosen the foolish things of this world to shame the wise (1 Cor. 1:27) 2615. And again it is said: if anyone among you thinks to be wise in this age, let him be foolish in order to be wise (1 Cor. 3:18) 2616. And the words of history testify in the Gospel that when Zacchaeus could not see anything because of the crowd, he climbed up a fig tree to see the Lord as He passed by (Luke 19:4) 2617. A barren (in literature this word is often used to allegorically mean “stupid”) fig tree is called a fig tree. Zacchaeus, therefore, being small in stature, climbed up a fig tree and saw the Lord, because those who humbly choose the stupidity of the world, themselves constantly contemplate the wisdom of God. For the crowd prevents those who are small in stature from contemplating the Lord, because the noise of worldly cares keeps the weakness of the human mind from looking at the light of truth. But we prudently climb the fig tree if we carefully maintain in our minds that we are fools and under the control of God. For is it not really stupidity in this world: not to try to hold on to the goods that we lose; give up our possessions; not to repay evil for the evil we have received; to be patient when others are wronged? For the Lord actually commands us to climb up the fig tree when He says: From him who took what is yours, do not demand it back (Luke 6:30) 2618 and again: if someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him (Matt. 5:39) 2619. The Lord is visible when He passes by, with the help of a fig tree, because the wisdom of God is not all visible, as it is, to this wise fool, but is visible, as if from afar, passing by. But they, who seem to themselves to be wise, according to the words of Elihu, cannot see Him; For, hurrying in the arrogant crowd of their thoughts, they have not yet found the fig tree in order to see the Lord. All those who knew him yesterday and the day before, seeing that he was prophesying with the prophets, said among the people to each other: what has become of the son of Kisov? is Saul also among the prophets? And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam: What have I done to you, that you are beating me now for the third time? (Numbers 22:28); but he was convicted of his iniquity: a dumb donkey, speaking with a human voice, stopped the madness of the prophet (2 Pet. 2:16). God is exalted in His power, and who is a mentor like Him? For, although He was crucified in weakness, He lives by the power of God; and we also, although we are weak in Him, will live with Him through the power of God in you. Having come to the countries of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples: Who do people say that I, the Son of Man, am? They said: some for John the Baptist, others for Elijah, and others for Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Simon Peter answered and said: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. On my bed at night I looked for the one whom my soul loves, I looked for him and did not find him. I was met by guards going around the city: “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?” The guards going around the city met me, beat me, wounded me; The guarding walls removed the veil from me. But as soon as I left them, I found the one whom my soul loves, grabbed hold of him, and did not let him go until I brought him to my mother’s house and to the inner rooms of my parent. And Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” ...I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes; Who will show Him His way; who can say: You are doing injustice? Remember to extol His works that people see. While I was still continuing my prayer, the husband Gabriel, whom I had seen before in a vision, quickly flew in and touched me around the time of the evening sacrifice. to you, people, I cry, and to the sons of men my voice! And he made darkness His cover, the darkness of waters and clouds of air surrounding Him. Your truth is like the mountains of God, and Your destinies are like a great abyss! You protect men and animals, O Lord! You covered it with the abyss like a garment, and there are waters on the mountains. Just as you do not know the ways of the wind and how the bones are formed in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you cannot know the work of God, who does everything. All people can see them; a person can see them from afar. Behold, God is great, and we cannot know Him; the number of His years is unsearchable. ...the number of His years is unsearchable. He collects drops of water; they rain in abundance. Therefore the rains were withheld, and there was no latter rain; but you had the forehead of a harlot, you threw away shame. they drip from the clouds and pour out abundantly on people. He who watches the wind must not sow; and whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. and I will leave it desolate: they will neither prune it nor dig it, but it will be overgrown with thorns and thistles, and I will command the clouds not to rain rain on it. Who is it that flies like clouds and like doves to their dovecotes? ... and poured out abundantly on people. You are glorious, more powerful than the predatory mountains. Peter answered Him: Lord! If it is You, command me to come to You on the water. He said: go. And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water to come to Jesus, One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ breast. Simon Peter made a sign to him to ask who it was that he was talking about. He fell to the chest of Jesus and said to Him: Lord! who is this? And the Lord said to Abram, Get thee out of thy land, from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, (and go) to the land that I will show thee; and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing; I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you; and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. And Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it on Isaac his son; He took the fire and the knife in his hands, and they both went together. And Isaac began to speak to Abraham his father, and said: My father! He answered: Here I am, my son. He said, “Here is the fire and the wood; where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said: God will provide for Himself a lamb for a burnt offering, my son. And they both walked on together. And they came to the place that God had told him about; And Abraham built an altar there, laid out the wood, and, having bound his son Isaac, laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Laban said to Jacob, “Will you serve me for nothing, because you are a relative?” tell me what to pay you? Laban had two daughters; eldest name: Leah; youngest name: Rachel. Leah was weak-eyed, but Rachel was beautiful in form and beautiful in face. Jacob fell in love with Rachel and said: I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your youngest daughter. Laban said (to him): it is better to give her to me for you than to give her to someone else; live with me. And Jacob served for Rachel seven years; and they appeared to him in a few days, because he loved her. And Jacob said to Laban: Give me my wife, because the time has already passed for me to go in to her. Laban called all the people of the place and held a feast. In the evening Laban took his daughter Leah and brought her to him; and Jacob went in to her. And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to be a maid for his daughter Leah. In the morning it turned out that it was Leah. And (Jacob) said to Laban: What hast thou done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? why did you deceive me? Laban said: in our place they don’t do this, to give the younger one away before the older one; Finish this week, then we will give you that week for the service that you will serve with me for another seven years. Jacob did so and ended the week. And (Lavan) gave Rachel his daughter to him as a wife. And Laban gave his maid Bilhah as a maid for his daughter Rachel. (Jacob) went in to Rachel, and loved Rachel more than Leah; and served with him for another seven years. And his master’s wife turned her eyes to Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife: Behold, my master does not know anything in the house with me, and he has given everything that he has into my hands. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying, Separate yourselves from this congregation, and I will destroy them in a moment. They fell on their faces and said: God, God of the spirits of all flesh! one person has sinned and You are angry with the whole community? And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among them that spied out the land, tore their clothes, and said unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, The land which we passed through to spy out is very, very good; if the Lord is merciful to us, he will lead us into this land and give it to us - this land in which milk and honey flow; only do not rebel against the Lord and do not fear the people of this land; for he will fall to us to be devoured: they have no protection, but the Lord is with us; don't be afraid of them. And Samuel said, How shall I go? Saul will hear and kill me. The Lord said: Take in your hand a heifer from the herd and say: “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.” And the Lord said to Samuel, How long will you grieve for Saul, whom I have rejected, lest he should be king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided a king for Myself among his sons. And his men said to David, “This is the day about which the Lord spoke to you: “Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you will do with him what you please.” David stood up and quietly cut off the edge of Saul's outer garment. ( 1 Samuel 24:5 ) Maybe this quote? And David took a spear and a vessel of water from Saul's head, and they went to themselves; and no one saw, and no one knew, and no one woke up, but everyone slept, for a dream from the Lord fell upon them. And David passed over to the other side and stood on the top of a mountain far away; there was a great distance between them. And David called to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answer, Abner. And Abner answered and said, Who are you that you shout and trouble the king? And David said to Abner, Art thou not a man, and who is thy equal in Israel? Why do you not take care of your master the king? for one of the people came to destroy the king thy lord. It's not good for you to do this; The Lord lives! you are worthy of death because you do not protect your master, the Lord’s anointed. Look, where is the king’s spear and the vessel of water that were at his head? ( 1 Samuel 26:12–16 ) Maybe this quote? Who can also comprehend the stretch of the clouds, the crackling of His tent? Behold, He spreads His light over it and covers the bottom of the sea. Behold, I send My angel, and he will prepare the way before Me, and suddenly the Lord, whom you seek, and the Angel of the covenant, whom you desire, will come to His church; Behold, He comes, says the Lord of hosts. Sing to our God, sing to His name, exalt Him who walks in heaven; His name is Lord, and rejoice in His presence. God! when You went out before Your people, when You walked in the wilderness. and I will walk among you and will be your God, and you will be my people. my tent is desolate, and all my ropes are broken; My children have left me, and they are no longer there; there is no one to pitch my tent or hang up my rugs. And He took away His fence, like a garden; He destroyed His place of meeting, the Lord forced the Sabbath and the Sabbath to be forgotten in Zion; and in the indignation of His wrath He rejected the king and the priest. by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that the gospel of Christ was spread by me from Jerusalem and the surrounding area to Illyricum. and, having measured the depth, they found twenty fathoms; then, at a short distance, measuring again, they found fifteen fathoms. And who is like Your people, Israel, the only people on earth for whom God came to acquire them as a people for Himself and to glorify His name and to do great and terrible things before Your people, which You acquired for Yourself from the Egyptians, driving out the nations and their gods? flash lightning and scatter them; shoot your arrows and destroy them. From there He judges the nations and gives food in abundance. Having said this, he blew and said to them: Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; On whomever you leave it, it will stay on it. But Jesus said to them: They don’t need to go, you give them something to eat. and so that we can get rid of disorderly and crafty people, for not everyone has faith. He who is from God listens to the words of God. The reason you don't listen is because you are not from God. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. But the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His”; and: “Let everyone who confesses the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness.” He hides the lightning in His hands and commands whom it will strike. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and understanding in themselves! Be of the same mind among yourselves; do not be arrogant, but follow the humble; don't dream about yourself. At that time, continuing his speech, Jesus said: I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. I couldn't find the corresponding quote. the land which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel is a land fit for flocks, and thy servants have flocks. And they said: If we have found favor in your eyes, give this land to your servants for a possession; don't take us across the Jordan. ...your brothers will go to war, and you will remain here? Why do you turn away the hearts of the children of Israel from going to the land that the Lord is giving them? And they came to him and said: We will build here sheepfolds for our flocks and cities for our children; We ourselves will be the first to arm ourselves and go before the children of Israel until we bring them to their places; and let our children remain in fortified cities, for safety from the inhabitants of the earth. ... and commands her whom to strike. For even though your people, O Israel, were as many as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be converted; destruction is determined by abundant righteousness. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have told you everything that I have heard from My Father. You made him a little lower than the Angels: You crowned him with glory and honor. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men! And Israel no longer had a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. And at that time Michael will arise, the great prince who stands for the sons of your people; and a time of trouble will come, such as has not happened since men existed until now; But at that time all of your people who are found written in the book will be saved. I couldn’t find any references that fit the context in the links provided. You need to check it with the original. I fell at his feet to worship him; but he said to me: see that you do not do this; I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who have the testimony of Jesus; Worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. You did not humiliate him much before the Angels; You crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands. for where the carcass is, there the eagles will gather. to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. For we know that when our earthly house, this hut, is destroyed, we have from God a dwelling in heaven, a house not made with hands, eternal. No one has ascended into heaven except the Son of Man, who is in heaven, who came down from heaven. Father! whom You have given Me, I want them to be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory, which You have given Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world. And because of this my heart trembled and was moved from its place. In my confusion I thought: “I am rejected from Your eyes... Listen, listen to His voice and the thunder that comes from His mouth. God! I heard Your rumor and was afraid. God! complete Your work among the years, among the years reveal it; In anger, remember mercy. Then He will also say to those on the left hand: Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Lord!) who believed what was heard from us, and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed? Everything came into being through Him, and without Him nothing came into being that came into being. But if you deny and persist, the sword will devour you: for the mouth of the Lord speaks. May he kiss me with the kiss of his lips! For your caresses are better than wine. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as from a rushing strong wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. He will glorify Me, because He will take of Mine and proclaim it to you. Because you did not receive the spirit of slavery to live in fear again, but you received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry: “Abba, Father!” It reverberates under the whole sky, and its brilliance reaches to the ends of the earth. The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. So tongues are a sign not for believers, but for unbelievers; prophecy is not for unbelievers, but for believers. Publius's father lay suffering from fever and abdominal pain; Paul went in to him, prayed, and laying his hands on him, healed him. From now on, drink more than just water, but use a little wine, for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. The Lord will wipe out those who argue with Him; will thunder upon them from heaven. (The Lord is holy. Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the mighty boast in his strength, and let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who desires to boast boast in that he understands and knows the Lord.) The Lord will judge the ends of the earth, and will give strength to His king, and will exalt the horn of His anointed. and replace every donkey that opens (the womb) with a lamb; and if you do not replace it, buy it back; and you shall ransom every firstborn of man from your sons. A voice thunders behind him; He thunders with the voice of His majesty and does not stop it when His voice is heard. ...He thunders with the voice of His Majesty... ... and does not stop him when His voice is heard. The Spirit breathes where it wants, and you hear its voice, but you do not know where it comes from and where it goes: this is what happens to everyone born of the Spirit. The high priests decided to kill Lazarus too, because for his sake many of the Jews came and believed in Jesus. God thunders marvelously with His voice, doing great things that are incomprehensible to us. And the children of Israel saw and said to one another, “What is this?” Because they didn’t know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.” ... does great things, incomprehensible to us. I planted, Apollos watered, but God increased; Therefore, the one who plants and the one who waters is nothing, but God who increases everything. For to the snow He says: Be on the earth; equally small rain and great rain are in His power. Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. me, who was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and an offender, but was shown mercy because I acted this way out of ignorance, in unbelief. If we lose our temper, it is for God; if you are modest, then for you. ...if you are modest, then for you. For the love of Christ embraces us, reasoning this way: if one died for all, then all died. for the corruptible body burdens the soul, and this earthly church suppresses the over-anxious mind. My teaching will fall like rain, my speech will fall like dew, like fine rain on the greenery, like rain on the grass. But you know me, Lord, you see me and test my heart, how it feels towards you. Separate them like sheep to the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. My beloved began to say to me: get up, my beloved, my beautiful, come out! Behold, winter has already passed; The rain has passed and stopped. because the foolish things of God are wiser than men, and the weak things of God are stronger than men. For, although He was crucified in weakness, He lives by the power of God; and we also, although we are weak in Him, will live with Him through the power of God in you. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father. He came to his own, and his own did not receive Him. He sets a seal on every man's hand, so that all people may know His work. for wickedness, condemned by its own testimony, is fearful and, persecuted by conscience, always invents horrors. Beloved! if our heart does not condemn us, then we have boldness towards God. The abyss calls upon the abyss with the voice of Your waterfalls; all Your waters and Your waves passed over me. Then the beast goes to shelter and remains in its lairs. When the high priests and ministers saw Him, they shouted: Crucify Him, crucify Him! Pilate says to them: Take Him and crucify Him; for I find no fault in Him. Now is the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out. You extend the darkness and there is night: during it all the forest animals roam; lions roar for prey and ask God for food for themselves. The sun rises, (and) they gather and lie down in their lairs; Wash away the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved: how long will evil thoughts nest in you? But he denied Him, saying to the woman: I do not know Him. Soon after, another, seeing him, said: “You too are one of them.” But Peter said to the man: No! About an hour passed, and someone else insistently said: Surely this one was with Him, for he was a Galilean. But Peter said to the man, “I don’t know what you are saying.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He said to him: before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. And, going out, he wept bitterly. From the south comes a storm, from the north comes a cold. created As, Kesil and Hima and the hiding places of the south. The breath of God causes ice to form and the surface of the water contracts. The Pharisees said to each other: Do you see that you do not have time to do anything? the whole world follows Him. ... and the surface of the water contracts. On the day of your sorrow you will be remembered: like ice from warmth, your sins will be forgiven. Bring back, O Lord, our captives like streams at noon. He will send His word, and everything will melt; He will blow His wind, and the waters will flow. and asked him for letters to Damascus to the synagogues, so that whoever he found following this teaching, both men and women, would be tied up and brought to Jerusalem. He also fills the clouds with moisture, and the clouds shed His light. His shovel is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, and He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. Then He said to His disciples: The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. ...and the clouds shower His light. and they are directed according to His intentions, to fulfill what He commands them on the face of the inhabited earth. The Lord, in a vision at night, said to Paul: Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will harm you, because I have many people in this city. And therefore we, I Paul, wanted to come to you once or twice, but Satan prevented us. ... to do what He commands them on the face of the inhabited earth. He commands them to go either for punishment, or for favor, or for mercy. I will make My arrows drunk with blood, and My sword will be filled with flesh, with the blood of the slain and captives, with the heads of the leaders of the enemy. and for the Gentiles - out of mercy, so that they glorify God, as it is written: For this reason I will praise You, (Lord,) among the Gentiles, and I will sing praises to Your name. once not a people, but now the people of God; who were once not pardoned, but are now pardoned. Take heed of this, Job; stand and understand the wonderful works of God. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. says he who hears the words of God, who sees the visions of the Almighty; falls, but his eyes are open. Do you know how God disposes of them and commands the light to shine from His cloud? and he has enlightened the eyes of your heart, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of His glorious inheritance are for the saints, and how immeasurable is the greatness of His power in us who believe according to the working of His sovereign power. Because someone says: in messages he is strict and strong, but in personal presence he is weak, and his speech is insignificant. Do you understand the balance of the clouds, the wonderful work of the Most Perfect One in knowledge? for narrow is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few find it. ... the wonderful work of the Most Perfect in knowledge? So you too, when you have fulfilled everything commanded you, say: we are worthless slaves, because we did what we had to do. Anyone who thinks that he knows anything does not yet know anything as he should know. How do your clothes get hot when He calms the earth from the south? Lift up your eyes and look around - they are all gathering, coming towards you. I live! says the Lord, “You will be clothed with all of them as jewelry, and you will be adorned with them like a bride.” Rise the wind from the north and blow from the south, blow over my garden, and its fragrances will flow! “Let my beloved come to his garden and eat its sweet fruits.” For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. Therefore, the one who plants and the one who waters is nothing, but God who gives the increase. Have you spread out the heavens with Him, solid as a cast mirror? Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. and God placed them in the firmament of the heaven to give light on the earth. Our residence is in heaven, from where we await the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. You are My friends if you do what I command you (John 15:14). But you remained with Me in My troubles (Luke 22:28). Teach us what to say to Him? We can’t figure out anything in this darkness. Will what I say be made known to Him? Has anyone said that what is said comes to Him? ... Did anyone say that what was said was being conveyed to Him? Now there is no bright light visible in the clouds, but the wind will rush by and clear them. The people walking in darkness will see a great light; on those who live in the land of the shadow of death the light will shine. Bright weather comes from the north, and around God there is terrible splendor. And he said in his heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mountain in the assembly of gods, on the edge of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” How the gold has dimmed, the best gold has changed! The stones of the sanctuary are scattered at all crossroads. saying, “You went to the uncircumcised men and ate with them.” I will say to the North: “give it back”; and to the south: “Do not hold back,” bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth. ... and around God there is terrible splendor. In Caesarea there was a certain man named Cornelius, a centurion from a regiment called Italian, who was pious and feared God with all his household, who gave much alms to the people and always prayed to God. In a vision, he clearly saw at about the ninth hour of the day an Angel of God who came to him and said to him: Cornelius! He looked at him and was frightened and said: What, Lord? The angel answered him: Your prayers and your alms have come as a memorial before God. In the city of Joppa, I prayed, and in a frenzy I saw a vision: a certain vessel descended, like a large canvas, lowered from heaven by four corners, and descended to me. I looked into it and, examining it, I saw four-legged creatures of the earth, animals, reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me: Arise, Peter, kill and eat. I said, No, Lord, nothing vile or unclean has ever come into my mouth. And a voice answered me a second time from heaven: What God has cleansed, do not consider unclean. This happened three times, and again everything rose to heaven. And so, at that very hour, three men stood in front of the house in which I was, sent from Caesarea to me. The Spirit told me to go with them without any doubt. These six brothers also went with me, and we came to the man’s house. He told us how he saw an Angel (saint) in his house, who stood and said to him: Send people to Joppa and call Simon, who is called Peter; he will tell you words by which you and your whole house will be saved. When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit descended on them, just as it did on us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said: “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So, if God gave them the same gift as he gave to us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, then who am I that I could hinder God? Having heard this, they calmed down and glorified God, saying: apparently, God has given repentance to life to the pagans. Apparently, God also gave the pagans repentance to life. Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.” Almighty! we do not comprehend Him. He is great in power, judgment and fullness of justice. He doesn't oppress anyone. ... He is great in power, judgment and fullness of justice. He doesn't oppress anyone. Or how can anyone enter the house of a strong man and plunder his things, unless he first binds the strong man? and then he will plunder his house. Therefore let men revere Him, and let all who are wise in heart tremble before Him! they retreated and changed, like their fathers, they turned back like a faithless bow. When David returned to bless his house, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him (and greeted him) and said: How the king of Israel distinguished himself today, naked today before the eyes of his servants, as some empty man is exposed! And David said to Michal: Before the Lord (I will dance. And blessed is the Lord), who has preferred me to your father and to all his house, having established me as the leader of the Lord’s people Israel; I will play and dance before the Lord. and I will humble myself even more, and become even more insignificant in my eyes, and before the maidservants of whom you speak, I will be glorious. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong things. No one should deceive himself. If any of you thinks to be wise in this age, let him be foolish in order to be wise. and, running ahead, he climbed up a fig tree to see Him, because He had to pass by it. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not demand back from the one who took what is yours. But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him.