147. Зеркало пороки на лице показывает

As vices are on the face, so are sins on the soul. What a mirror is to the face and vices, so is an accusatory word to the soul and sins. The mirror shows us what is on the face: when there are defects on the face, it shows the defects; when they are not on the face, it does not show them. Likewise, an accusatory word, like a mirror, shows sins in the soul. What sins there are in the soul, he shows and exposes; Whatever sins the soul does not have, the word no longer denounces them. When a person, seeing the defects on his face, smooths them out, then even the mirror no longer shows them; so, when the soul, having abandoned its sins, cleanses them with repentance and faith, even the word of accusation no longer concerns it. And what an accusatory word does is what conscience does to the human soul. For conscience agrees with the law and the word of reproof. The testimony of this inner witness is true: what he sees in the soul, he testifies and denounces; What he does not see, he does not reprove. So God laid two witnesses and accusers of human souls: outside is His law; inside the soul is conscience. Both of these witnesses testify and convict us faithfully and concordantly. They will be witnesses to everyone at the Second Coming of Christ. Whatever we did today, they will testify to it there. Whether we sinned here, our sins will be exposed there. If we repented and made amends for our sins here, they will no longer denounce them there. Have we done good deeds here - and they will testify about them there and praise us. We see this now. When we do good, they praise us. The law praises goodness, and conscience also praises; mercy praises the law, and conscience also praises; the law pleases the meek and patient, and their conscience pleases them; He who innocently suffers reproach, blasphemy, or exile, or bonds, or any other evil is consoled by the word of God, and his conscience also consoles him. For just as sin itself is a punishment for a person, so virtue itself is his bribe and reward. 1) How necessary it is to preach the law of God, so that people would recognize their sins from it, just as they recognize blemishes on their faces from a mirror, and so, having recognized them, they would smooth them out with repentance and faith, and henceforth they would beware of them - this matter concerns primarily pastors. 2) No one should be angry for an accusatory word. You are not angry, man, at the mirror because it shows the vices on your face: why be angry at the preacher because he shows you your sins with his words? The mirror shows you what is on your face: so a word of reproach convicts you of what is in your soul. 3) If someone is angry because of a convicting word, it is clear that he has within himself those sins that the word denounces in general. For this means that what he hears in the word, his conscience also condemns him. When, man, you are angry at a preacher for an accusatory word, then be angry at your conscience, which convicts you. However, no matter how angry you are, she will not stop denouncing you, she will always tell you what she sees in you. It is better to be angry with yourself for sinning and hurting your conscience. Repent and stop doing what hurts your conscience; and your conscience will no longer hurt you, and the word of accusation will not touch you. Then peace, peace and joy will be infused into your soul by the grace of God. 4) Just as a mirror is supplied so that the defects on the face can be seen and thus erased, so an accusatory word should not be spoken for any other reason, but only so that people recognize their sins and repent, and thus correct themselves. You might be interested in: