Беседа 5

1 Thessalonians 4:1–3. For this reason, brethren, we ask and plead with you by Christ Jesus, that you, having received from us how you ought to act and please God, may be more successful in this, for you know what commandments we gave you from the Lord Jesus. For the will of God is your sanctification. Purity in marriage. “Young men shouldn’t hesitate to get married.” – Chrysostom’s caution when discussing immodest subjects. 1. Having talked enough about what was urgent and was, as it were, at hand, and then intending to proceed to what is constantly (worthy of attention) and about which one always needs to listen, (the apostle) prefaces the following word: “For this, that is, always and without ceasing, we ask and entreat you by Christ Jesus.” Look! He does not even recognize himself as worthy to plead in his own name, while who was to such an extent worthy of this? He represents Christ: “We beg you by God,” he says, “this is precisely what the word means: “in the Lord.” He also spoke to the Corinthians: “God prays for you through us” (2 Cor. 5:20). thus they prospered,” that is, so that, with increasing zeal, you would not stop at fulfilling the commandments, but would ascend higher. This is what the word means: “prosper.” In the previous conversation, he praises the strength of their faith, and here he teaches them to succeed in life. Progress consists in exceeding the commandments and decrees: then everything is done not under compulsion from a mentor, but according to one’s own will. Just as the earth must produce not only what is thrown into it, so the soul must not stop at the commandments offered to it, but rise higher. Do you see how rightly he said - to surpass? After all, virtue combines two sides: avoiding evil and doing good. Therefore, in order to be virtuous, it is not enough just to evade evil - this is the beginning (of perfection) and, as it were, the path leading to virtue; Besides, it still takes a lot of effort. Therefore, the rules regarding what should be avoided are offered to them in the form of a command. And rightly so, because doing what you should avoid entails punishment, and not doing it deserves no praise at all. Meanwhile, acts of virtue, such as the distribution of property and the like, no longer offers in the form of a command - but how? “Whoever is able to contain it, let him contain it” (Matthew 19:12). Probably in this letter (the apostle) reminds them of the same thing that he had already spoken about with much apprehension and fear - about holiness. Therefore, he does not set out the commands themselves, but only reminds them of them. “For you know,” he says, “what commandments we gave you from the Lord Jesus. For the will of God is your sanctification." Notice that he never hints at anything else as often as he does this. And in another place, writing, he commands: “Try to have peace with everyone and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). And is it surprising if he writes about this to his disciples everywhere, when even in his letter to Timothy he said: “Keep yourself pure” (1 Tim. 5:22)? And in the second letter to the Corinthians he said: “with great patience, with fasting, with purity” (2 Cor. 6:4, 5, 6). And in many places you can find this - both in the letter to the Romans and in all the other letters. And truly, this evil is harmful to everyone. Just as a pig wallows in the mud, wherever it goes it fills everything with a stench and overwhelms the senses with a disgusting smell, so does fornication; this evil is washed away with difficulty. When even those who have wives do this, what extreme madness is this? “For the will,” he says, “is your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication.” There are many types of disorder, manifold and varied lusty pleasures, which are unbearable to speak of. Having said, “from all fornication,” he leaves (the list of types) to those who know. “So that each of you knows how to keep his vessel in holiness and honor, and not in the passion of lust, like the pagans who do not know God" (1 Thess. 4:4, 5). "So that each of you, - he says, - knows how to keep his vessel in holiness and honor." Therefore, we must learn, and a lot, so as not to indulge in uncleanness. Therefore, when the vessel is clean, and remains in holiness, we own it; when it is unclean, then sin owns it. And indeed, - because then it does not what we want, but what sin commands. lust,” he says. Here he also shows the way to be chaste, that is, cutting off the passions of lust. Indeed, luxury, and wealth, and laziness, and negligence, and idleness - all this leads us to vile lust. “Like the pagans,” he says, “who do not know God”; the pagans are such because they do not expect future punishment. “So that you do not do anything unlawful or selfish to your brother” (1 Thess. 4:6). 2. Well said: “So that they do not do anything.” God gave everyone a wife and set limits to nature, namely, copulation with one. Therefore, copulation with another is already a crime, and robbery, and extortion, even more terrible than any robbery, because we do not grieve so much when our money is stolen as when our marriage is stolen. You call him brother and cause offense in ways that (mostly) shouldn’t? Here (the apostle) speaks of adultery, and above he spoke of all fornication. Since he intended to say not to act illegally and selfishly towards his brother, then, warning (false interpretation), he says: do not think that I am saying this only about brothers; no, one should not commit fornication either with other people’s wives or with unmarried women, and (in general) one should not have common wives; must keep oneself from all fornication, - which is why he adds: “Because the Lord is the avenger for all this.” At first he begged, made him blush, saying: “As the pagans do it”; then, through arguments, he showed the vileness of the matter, using the expression: “deceiving a brother”; Finally, he adds the main thing: “Because the Lord is the avenger of all this, as we told you and testified before.” By doing this, we will not remain without punishment and will not experience such pleasure that would be equal to the torment that awaits us. “For God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness” (1 Thess. 4:7). Since he said: (So that you do not do anything illegal to your brother, and added that “The Lord is an avenger,” then with these words he inspires that the one who caused the offense will not remain unpunished even when the one who endured it is unfaithful. The meaning of his words is this: God will punish you not with the goal of avenging him, but because you have offended God himself in him; He called you, and you called Him insulted. Therefore (the apostle) added: “So he who is disobedient is not subject to man, but to God, who also gave us His Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 4:8). Thus, he says, you will commit the same crime when you corrupt the queen or your married servant. Why? Because (God) takes revenge not for the persons offended by you, but for Himself; and you have equally defiled yourself, you have equally offended God. After all, both are adultery, since both are marriage. Although you do not commit adultery, but commit fornication, although the harlot does not have a husband, yet God takes revenge, since He avenges Himself. By doing this, you show contempt not so much for your husband as for God; this is evident from the fact that you at least hide it from your husband, but don’t even think about God, Who sees. Tell me, if a king awarded someone a scarlet robe and many other honors, and he, having received an order to live in accordance with his rank, went and defiled himself with some woman, who would he insult: the woman, or the king who honored him with the reward? Of course, she too would have been insulted, but not so much. Therefore, I beg you, let us keep ourselves from this sin. Just as we punish wives when, while living with us, they give themselves to others, so we ourselves will be punished, if not according to Roman laws, then from God, because this too is adultery. Adultery, after all, happens not only when a married woman commits adultery, but also when a married man commits adultery. Listen carefully to what I'm saying. Although for many it is hard what I say, it is necessary to say this in order to subsequently improve. Not only adultery, when we corrupt a married woman, but also adultery, when, being married ourselves, we commit fornication with a freed and freed woman. What does it matter if the adulterous woman is not married to her husband? You are bound, you have broken the law, you have offended your flesh. Why, in fact, tell me, do you punish your wife when she commits fornication with a free man who does not have a wife? For adultery (you will say), because although the one who committed adultery with her does not have a wife, she is married. Therefore, if you are married, then your act is equally adultery. “Whoever divorces his wife,” it is said, “besides the guilt of adultery, gives her a reason to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (Matthew 5:32). If he who marries a freed woman commits adultery, is he not much more guilty of adultery who sins with her while having his own wife? Of course, this is obvious to everyone. But for you, husbands, what has been said will be enough; and about such Christ says: “Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44). However, it is necessary to speak to you for the sake of the young men, or better not so much for their sake as for your sake; It doesn’t come to them, but to you. I’ll tell you exactly how now. He who has not known fornication will not know adultery; and he who is defiled with harlots will soon come to this and will commit fornication, if not with married wives, then with freed ones. 3. So, what instruction will I give you? In order to cut off the very roots (of evil), let those who have children in adolescence and intend to introduce them into worldly life, quickly unite them by marriage. Since even in their youth their passionate wishes are outraged, then until the time of marriage, restrain them with admonitions, threats, fear, promises and other countless means; and when the time for marriage comes, let no one hesitate to bind their children in marriage. Isn't it true what I say is like a matchmaker; but I am not ashamed to say this, because Paul was not ashamed when he said: “Do not turn away from one another” (1 Cor. 7:5). This, apparently, was more appropriate to be ashamed of, but he was not ashamed, because he paid attention not to words, but to actions, which he (wanted) to correct with the help of words. So, when your son grows up, then before entering into a military rank, or into another branch of life, take care of his marriage. And if he knows that you will soon bring him a bride and that there is little time left before marriage, then he will be able to patiently endure the flame (of passion). If he finds out that you are not caring about this, and are delaying, and are waiting until he receives large incomes in order to marry him, then, having come to despair from the long wait, he will easily rush to fornication. But, alas, here too the root of evil is the love of money! And since no one cares about making his son chaste and modest, and everyone frantically cleaves to gold, for the sake of which no one cares (about chastity), I beg you to first of all take care of their souls. In fact, if he marries an immaculate bride, if he knows only her body, then love will be more ardent, and there will be more fear of God, and the marriage will be truly honest, binding pure and undefiled bodies, and those born will be filled with every blessing; and the bride and groom will please each other, since, being both unfamiliar with the habits of other people, they will mutually submit to each other. And whoever from a young age began to lead a dissolute life and became familiar with the customs of harlots, will admire his wife on the first and second evening, and then will soon turn to his former debauchery, to excessive and disorderly laughter - he will look for speeches full of shamelessness, passionate gestures and all other abominations, which it is indecent for us to even talk about. A noble wife will not allow this, and will not allow herself to be desecrated. She married for cohabitation and for childbearing, and not for debauchery and laughter - in order to take care of the house, to teach her husband to be honest, and not in order to ignite voluptuousness in him. But do you find the body movements of a harlot pleasant? I know. And Scripture speaks about this: “for the mouth of another man’s wife drips honey” (Prov. 5:3). This is why I say all this so that you do not taste this honey, since it immediately turns into bile. Scripture says the same thing: “but its consequences are bitter like wormwood, sharp like a two-edged sword” (Prov. 5:4). What are you saying (saying)? Be lenient with me if I say something, so to speak, unclean, without being ashamed or blushing. I do not do this of my own free will, but I am forced to say such words for those who are not ashamed of such deeds. We see much of the same in Scripture. So Ezekiel, reproaching Jerusalem, says a lot of similar things - and is not ashamed. And fair enough. After all, he did not say this of his own free will, but out of piety. Although my words are apparently indecent, the goal is not indecent, and even very good for one who wants to destroy the impurity of the soul. Indeed, if a shameless soul does not hear such words, it will not be afraid. Just as a doctor, wanting to stop decay, first puts his fingers into the wounds and, if he does not first desecrate his healing hands, he will not be able to heal, so I do. If I do not first defile the lips that heal your passions, then I will not be able to heal you. It’s better to say that here the mouth is no more defiled than the hands there. Why exactly? Because this is not natural uncleanness, and it does not come from our body, just like there - not from the hands of a doctor, but from strangers (wounds). If there he does not refuse to put his hands into someone else’s body, then here, where our body is, tell me, will we refuse? And you are our body, although sick and unclean, but still ours. 4. So, what does what I say mean, and why did I give such instructions? Of course, you will not ever agree to put on the clothes that a slave wears, abhorring them because of uncleanness, but you would rather agree to be naked than to use them; But will you use the unclean and filthy body, which is used not only by your servant, but also by countless others, for evil and will you not disdain it? You were ashamed to hear this. Be ashamed of deeds, not words. I am silent about everything else, about corruption and impurity of morals, and about other things that are slavish and base in life. Tell me, are you and your servant not going to the same one? And, oh, if only it were a slave - but also an executioner! You wouldn't dare take the executioner's hand; Meanwhile, you hug and kiss the one who was one body with him - and you don’t tremble, you’re not afraid? Aren't you ashamed? Aren't you blushing? Aren't you embarrassed? I told your fathers that you should get married as soon as possible; however, you are not exempt from punishment. If there were not many other young men living chastely both before and now, then perhaps some justification would have been found for you; but since they exist, how can you say that we were not able to suppress the flame of lust? Those who could (overcome) will be your accusers, because they are of the same nature as you. Listen to what Paul says: “Pursue peace with everyone and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). Surely this threat cannot frighten you? You see that others maintain chastity all their lives and live in purity; Don’t you want to wait until you’re a teenager? You see that others have overcome lust a thousand times; and you couldn’t resist once? If you want, I'll tell you the reason. Youth is not the reason for this, because then all young men would be incontinent; but we burn ourselves to the stake. In fact, when you enter the theater and sit there, delighting your gaze with the naked members of women, then, of course, at first you will feel pleasure, but then you will ignite a strong heat within yourself. When you see women appearing as if in the form of a (naked) body; when both the spectacle and the songs express nothing more than one vile love, namely: so-and-so, they say, fell in love with so-and-so, and was not successful and hanged herself; when they even indulge in criminal love for mothers; when you take all this into yourself through hearing, and through women, and through images, and even through old men (after all, many of them, putting on masks, present women to us), then tell me, how can you be chaste after this, when such stories, such sights, such rumors hold your soul and then give way to the same dream, because the soul is born to see in dreams the ghosts of many such things that it seeks during the day and wants? So, if you see shameful deeds there, and hear even more shameful speeches, if you receive wounds, but do not take medicine, then how, in fact, can the rottenness not increase? How can the disease not intensify, and, moreover, to a much greater extent than it happens in our bodies? Will, if we want; accepts correction more easily than the body. There you need medicine, doctors, and time; and here it is enough to want to be either good or evil. Therefore, the illness in you increased. So, if we collect only what harms us, and do not think at all about what benefits us, then how can we be healthy? That is why Paul said: “like the Gentiles, who do not know God.” If pagans who do not know God are often chaste, then what shame and fear should take possession of us? We are worse than them, and therefore we should be ashamed. It is easy to lead a life of chastity if we want, if we move away from what is harmful. If we do not want to, then fornication is not easy to avoid. What's easier than going to the square? But, due to great effeminacy, this also became difficult, not only for women, but even for men. What's easier than sleep? But we made this difficult too. Many rich people toss and turn all night because they go to bed without waiting for the need to sleep. And in general, nothing is difficult if we want it, just as nothing is easy if we don’t want it. We have power over everything. That is why Scripture (says): “If you will and obey”; and also “if you deny and persist” (Is. 1:19, 20) - so everything depends on desire or unwillingness, and depending on this we deserve punishment or praise. Oh, that we, being among those who deserve praise, would be worthy to receive the promised benefits, by grace and love for mankind (Our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen). These conversations were delivered by the saint in Constantinople in 399. 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