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| Letter I
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an exhortation
to theodore after his fall.
————————————
Letter I.
“Oh! that my head
were water, and mine eyes a fountain of tears!”221
it is seasonable for me to utter
these words now, yea much more than for the prophet in his time.
For although I am not about to mourn over many cities, or whole
nations, yet shall I mourn over a soul which is of equal value with
many such nations, yea even more precious. For if one man who does
the will of God is better than ten thousand transgressors, then
thou wast formerly better than ten thousand Jews. Wherefore no one
would now blame me if I were to compose more lamentations than
those which are contained in the prophet, and to utter complaints
yet more vehement. For it is not the overthrow of a city which I
mourn, nor the captivity of wicked men, but the desolation of a
sacred soul, the destruction and effacement of a Christ-bearing
temple.222
For would
not any one who knew in the days of its glory that well-ordered
mind of thine which the devil has now set on fire, groan, imitating
the lamentation of the prophet; when he hears that barbarian hands
have defiled the holy of holies, and have set fire to all things
and burned them up, the cherubim, the ark, the mercy seat, the
tables of stone, the golden pot? For this calamity is bitterer, yea
bitterer than that, in proportion as the pledges deposited in thy
soul were far more precious than those. This temple is holier than
that; for it glistened not with gold and silver, but with the grace
of the Spirit, and in place of the ark and the cherubim, it had
Christ, and His Father, and the Paraclete seated within. But now
all is changed, and the temple is desolate, and bare of its former
beauty and comeliness, unadorned with its divine and unspeakable
adornments, destitute of all security and protection; it has
neither door nor bolt, and is laid open to all manner of
soul-destroying and shameful thoughts; and if the thought of
arrogance or fornication, or avarice, or any more accursed than
these, wish to enter in there is no one to hinder them; whereas
formerly, even as the Heaven is inaccessible to all these, so also
was the purity of thy soul. Now perhaps I shall seem to say what is
incredible to some who now witness thy desolation and overthrow;
for on this account I wail and mourn, and shall not cease doing so,
until I see thee again established in thy former lustre. For
although this seems to be impossible to men, yet to God all things
are possible. For it is He “who raiseth the poor from the earth,
and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set him with the
princes, even with the princes of his people.” It is He “who
makes the barren woman to dwell at home, a mother rejoicing over
her children.”223
Do not then
despair of the most perfect change. For if the devil had such great
power as to cast thee down from that pinnacle and height of virtue
into the extremity of evil doing, much more will God be able to
draw thee up again to thy former confidence; and not only indeed to
make you what you were before, but even much happier. Only be not
downcast, nor fling away good hopes, nor fall into the condition of
the ungodly. For it is not the multitude of sins which is wont to
plunge men into despair, but impiety of soul. Therefore Solomon did
not make the unqualified statement “every one who has
entered into the den of the wicked, despiseth;” but only “he
who is ungodly.”224
For
it is such persons only who are affected in
this way when they have entered the den of the wicked. And this it
is which does not suffer them to look up, and re-ascend to the
position from which they fell. For this accursed thought pressing
down like some yoke upon the neck of the soul, and so forcing it to
stoop, hinders it from looking up to the Master. Now it is the part
of a brave and excellent man to break this yoke in pieces, to shake
off the tormentor fastened upon him; and to utter the words of the
prophet, “As the eyes of a maiden look unto the hands of her
mistress, even so our eyes look unto the Lord our God until He have
mercy upon us. Have pity upon us, O Lord, have pity upon us, for we
have been utterly filled with contempt.”225
Truly divine are these precepts,
and decrees of the highest form of spiritual wisdom. We have been
filled, it is said, with contempt, and have undergone countless
distresses; nevertheless we shall not desist from looking up to
God, neither shall we cease praying to him until He has received
our petition. For this is the mark of a noble soul, not to be cast
down, nor be dismayed at the multitude of the calamities which
oppress it, nor to withdraw, after praying many times without
success, but to persevere, until He have mercy upon us, even as the
blessed David saith.
2. For the reason why the devil plunges us
into thoughts of despair is that he may cut off the hope which is
towards God, the safe anchor, the foundation of our life, the guide
of the way which leads to heaven, the salvation of perishing souls.
“For by hope” it is said, “we are saved.”226
For this assuredly it is which,
like some strong cord suspended from the heavens, supports our
souls, gradually drawing towards that world on high those who cling
firmly to it, and lifting them above the tempest of the evils of
this life. If any one then becomes enervated, and lets go this
sacred anchor, straightway he falls down, and is suffocated, having
entered into the abyss of wickedness. And the Evil One knowing
this, when he perceives that we are ourselves oppressed by the
consciousness of evil deeds, steps in himself and lays upon us the
additional burden, heavier than lead, of anxiety arising from
despair; and if we accept it, it follows of necessity that we are
forthwith dragged down by the weight, and having been parted from
that cord, descend into the depth of misery where thou thyself art
now, having forsaken the commandments of the meek and lowly Master
and executing all the injunctions of the cruel tyrant, and
implacable enemy of our salvation; having broken in pieces the easy
yoke, and cast away the light burden, and having put on the iron
collar instead of these things, yea, having hung the ponderous
millstone227
| 227 μύλος ὀνικός,
lit. the mill-stone turned by an ass, as being heavier than the
common hand-mill. So in
Matt. xviii. 6. | from thy
neck. Where then canst thou find a footing henceforth when thou art
submerging thy unhappy soul, imposing on thyself this necessity of
continually sinking downwards? Now the woman who had found the one
coin called her neighbors to share her joy; saying, “Rejoice with
me;” but I shall now invoke all friends, both mine and thine, for
the contrary purpose, saying not “Rejoice with me” but “Mourn
with me,” and take up the same strain of mourning, and utter the
same cry of distress with me. For the worst possible loss has
befallen me, not that some given number of talents of gold, or some
large quantity of precious stones have dropped out of my hand, but
that he who was more precious than all these things, who was
sailing over this same sea, this great and broad sea with me, has,
I know not how, slipped overboard, and fallen into the very pit of
destruction.
3. Now if any should attempt to divert me from
mourning, I shall reply to them in the words of the prophet, saying
“Let me alone, I will weep bitterly; labour not to comfort
me.”228
For the
mourning with which I mourn now is not of a kind to subject me to
condemnation for excess in lamentation, but the cause is one for
which even Paul, or Peter, had they been here, would not have been
ashamed to weep and mourn, and reject all kinds of consolation. For
those who bewail that death which is common to all one might
reasonably accuse of much feebleness of spirit; but when in place
of a corpse a dead soul lies before us, pierced with innumerable
wounds, and yet even in its death manifesting its former natural
comeliness, and health, and beauty now extinguished, who can be so
harsh and unsympathetic as to utter words of encouragement in place
of wailing and lamentation? For as in the other world the absence
of mourning is a mark of divine wisdom, so in this world the act of
mourning is a mark of the same. He who had already mounted to the
sky, who was laughing to scorn the vanity of this life, who
regarded bodily beauty no more than if it had been in forms of
stone, who despised gold as it had been mud, and every kind of
luxury as mire, even he, having been suddenly overwhelmed with the
feverish longing of a preposterous passion, has ruined his health,
and manly strength, and the bloom of his youth, and become a slave of pleasure.
Shall we not weep then, I pray you, for such a man and bewail him,
until we have got him back again? And where do these things concern
the human soul? It is not possible indeed to discover in this world
the means of release from the death of the body, and yet even this
does not stay the mourners from lamenting; but only in this world
is it possible to bring to naught the death of the soul. “For in
Hades” we read, “who will confess thee?”229
Is it not then the height of
stupidity that they who mourn the death of the body should do this
so earnestly, although they know that they will not raise the dead
man to life by their lamentation; but that we should not manifest
anything of the kind, and this when we know that often there is
hope of conducting the lost soul back to its former life? For many
both now and in the days of our forefathers, having been perverted
from the right position, and fallen headlong out of the straight
path, have been so completely restored as to eclipse their former
deeds by the latter, and to receive the prize, and be wreathed with
the garland of victory, and be proclaimed among the conquerors, and
be numbered in the company of the saints. For as long as any one
stands in the furnace of pleasures, even if he has countless
examples of this kind before him, the thing seems to him to be
impossible; but if he once gets a short start upon the way out from
thence, by continually advancing he leaves the fiercer part of the
fire behind him and will see the parts which are in front of him,
and before his footsteps full of dew and much refreshment; only let
us not despair or grow weary of the return; for he who is so
affected, even if he has acquired boundless power and zeal, has
acquired it to no purpose. For when he has once shut the door of
repentance against himself, and has blocked the entrance into the
race-course, how will he be able while he abides outside to
accomplish any good thing, either small or great? On this account
the Evil One uses all kinds of devices in order to plant in us this
thought (of despair); for (if he succeeds) he will no longer have
to sweat and toil in contending with us; how should he, when we are
prostrate and fallen, and unwilling to resist him? For he who has
been able to slip out of this chain, will recover his own strength
and will not cease struggling against the devil to his last gasp,
and even if he had countless other falls, he will get up again, and
will smite his enemy; but he who is in bondage to the cogitations
of despair, and has unstrung his own strength, how will he be able
to prevail, and to resist, having on the contrary taken to
flight?
4. And speak not to me of those who have committed
small sins, but suppose the case of one who is filled full of all
wickedness, and let him practice everything which excludes him from
the kingdom, and let us suppose that this man is not one of those
who were unbelievers from the beginning, but formerly belonged to
the believers, and such as were well pleasing to God, but
afterwards has become a fornicator, adulterer, effeminate, a thief,
a drunkard, a sodomite, a reviler, and everything else of this
kind; I will not approve even of this man despairing of himself,
although he may have gone on to extreme old age in the practice of
this great and unspeakable wickedness. For if the wrath of God were
a passion, one might well despair as being unable to quench the
flame which he had kindled by so many evil doings; but since the
Divine nature is passionless, even if He punishes, even if He takes
vengeance, he does this not with wrath, but with tender care, and
much loving-kindness; wherefore it behoves us to be of much good
courage, and to trust in the power of repentance. For even those
who have sinned against Him He is not wont to visit with punishment
for His own sake; for no harm can traverse that divine nature; but
He acts with a view to our advantage, and to prevent our
perverseness becoming worse by our making a practice of despising
and neglecting Him. For even as one who places himself outside the
light inflicts no loss on the light, but the greatest upon himself
being shut up in darkness; even so he who has become accustomed to
despise that almighty power, does no injury to the power, but
inflicts the greatest possible injury upon himself. And for this
reason God threatens us with punishments, and often inflicts them,
not as avenging Himself, but by way of attracting us to Himself.
For a physician also is not distressed or vexed at the insults of
those who are out of their minds, but yet does and contrives
everything for the purpose of stopping those who do such unseemly
acts, not looking to his own interests but to their profit; and if
they manifest some small degree of self-control and sobriety he
rejoices and is glad, and applies his remedies much more earnestly,
not as revenging himself upon them for their former conduct, but as
wishing to increase their advantage, and to bring them back to a
purely sound state of health. Even so God when we fall into the
very extremity of madness, says and does everything, not by way of
avenging Himself on account of our former deeds; but because He
wishes to release us from our disorder; and by means of right reason it is quite possible to
be convinced of this.
5. Now if any one should dispute with us
concerning these things we will confirm them out of the divine
oracles. For who, I ask, became more depraved than the king of the
Babylonians, who after having received such great experience of
God’s power as to make obeisance to His prophet, and command
offerings and incense to be sacrificed to Him was again carried
away to his former pride, and cast bound into the furnace those who
did not honour himself before God. Nevertheless this man who was so
cruel and impious, and rather a beast than a human being, God
invited to repentance, and granted him several opportunities of
conversion, first of all the miracle which took place in the
furnace, and after that the vision which the king saw but which
Daniel interpreted, a vision sufficient to bend even a heart of
stone; and in addition to these things after the exhortation
derived from events the prophet also himself advised him, saying
“Therefore, O king, let my counsel please thee, and redeem thy
sins by alms, and thy iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; it
may be that long suffering will be shown to thy offence.”230
What sayest
thou O wise and blessed man? After so great a fall is there again a
way of return? and after so great a disease is health possible? and
after so great a madness is there again a hope of soundness of
mind? The king has deprived himself beforehand of all hope, first
of all by having ignored Him who created him; and conducted him to
this honour, although he had many evidences of His power and
forethought to recount which occurred both in his own case and in
the case of his forefathers; but after this again when he had
received distinct tokens of God’s wisdom and foreknowledge, and
had seen magic, and astronomy and the theatre of the whole satanic
system of jugglery overthrown, he exhibited deeds yet worse than
the former. For things which the wise magi, the Gazarenes, could
not explain, but confessed that they were beyond human nature,
these a captive youth having caused to be solved for him, so moved
him by that miracle that he not only himself believed, but also
became to the whole world a clear herald and teacher of this
doctrine.231
Wherefore if
even before having received such a token it was unpardonable in him
to ignore God, much more so was it after that miracle, and his
confession, and the teaching which was extended to others. For if
he had not honestly believed that He was the only true God he would
not have shown such honour to His servant, or have laid down such
laws for others. But yet after making this kind of confession, he
again lapsed into idolatry, and he who once fell on his face and
made obeisance to the servant of God, broke out into such a pitch
of madness, as to cast into the furnace the servants of God who did
not make obeisance to himself. What then? did God visit the
apostate, as he deserved to be visited? No! He supplied him with
greater tokens of His own power, drawing him back again after so
great a display of arrogance to his former condition; and, what is
yet more wonderful, that owing to the abundance of the miracles he
might not again disbelieve what was done, the subject upon which He
wrought the sign was none other than the furnace which the king
himself kindled for the children whom he bound and cast therein.
Even to extinguish the flame would have been a wonderful and
strange thing; but the benign Deity in order to inspire him with
greater fear, and increase his dismay, and undo all his hardness of
heart, did what was greater and stranger than this. For, permitting
the furnace to be kindled to as high a pitch as he desired, He then
exhibited his own peculiar power, not by putting down the devices
of his enemies, but by frustrating them when they were set on foot.
And, to prevent any one who saw them survive the flame from
supposing that it was a vision, He suffered those who cast them in
to be burned, thus proving that the thing seen was really fire; for
otherwise it would not have devoured naphtha and tow, and fagots
and such a large number of bodies; but nothing is stronger than His
command; but the nature of all existing things obeys Him who
brought them into being out of nothing; which was just what He
manifested at that time; for the flame having received perishable
bodies, held aloof from them as if they had been imperishable, and
restored in safety, with the addition of much lustre, the deposit
entrusted to it. For like kings from some royal court, even so did
those children come forth from the furnace, no one having the
patience to look any longer at the king, but all transferring their
eyes from him to the strange spectacle, and neither the diadem nor
the purple robe, nor any other feature of royal pomp, attracted the
multitudes of unbelievers so much as the sight of those faithful
ones, who tarried long in the fire, and then came out of it as men
might have done who had undergone this in a dream. For the most
fragile of all our features, I mean the hair, prevailed more
mightily than adamant against the all-devouring flame. And the fact
that when they were cast into the midst of the fire they suffered
no harm was not the only
wonder, but the further fact that they were
speaking the whole time. Now all who have witnessed persons burning
are aware, that if they keep their lips fast closed, they can hold
out for a short time at least against the conflagration; but if any
one chances to open his mouth, the soul instantly takes its flight
from the body. Nevertheless after such great miracles had taken
place, and all who were present and beheld were amazed, and those
who were absent had been informed of the fact by means of letters,
the king who instructed others remained himself without amendment,
and went back again to his former wickedness. And yet even then God
did not punish him, but was still long-suffering, counselling him
both by means of visions and by His prophet. But when he was not
made anywise better by any of these things, then at last God
inflicted punishment upon him, not by way of avenging himself on
account of his former deeds, but as cutting off the occasion of
future evils, and checking the advance of wickedness, and He did
not inflict even this permanently, but after having chastised him
for a few years, He restored him again to his former honour,
without having suffered any loss from his punishment, but on the
contrary having gained the greatest possible good; a firm hold upon
faith in God, and repentance on account of his former misdeeds.232
6. For such is the loving-kindness of God; He
never turns his face away from a sincere repentance, but if any one
has pushed on to the very extremity of wickedness, and chooses to
return thence towards the path of virtue, God accepts and welcomes,
and does everything so as to restore him to his former position.
And He does what is yet more merciful; for even should any one not
manifest complete repentance, he does not pass by one which is
small and insignificant, but assigns a great reward even to this;
which is evident from what Esaias the prophet says concerning the
people of the Jews, speaking on this wise: “On account of his sin
I put him to pain for a little while, and smote him, and turned my
face away from him, and he was pained, and walked sorrowfully, and
then I healed him, and comforted him.”233
| 233 Isa. lvii.
17, 18. LXX., which has after “sorrowfully” the
words “in his ways.” I beheld his ways and healed him,
etc. | And we might cite as another
witness that most ungodly king, who was given over to sin by the
influence of his wife: yet when he only sorrowed, and put on
sackcloth, and condemned his offences, he so won for himself the
mercy of God, as to be released from all the evils which were
impending over him. For God said to Elias “Seest thou how Ahab is
pricked in the heart before my face? I will not bring the evil upon
him in his own days, because he hath wept before me.”234
| 234 1 Kings
xxi. 29. The words
“because he hath wept before me,” are not in the LXX. | And after
this again, Manasses, having exceeded all in fury and tyranny, and
having subverted the legal form of worship, and shut up the temple,
and caused the deceit of idolatry to flourish, and having become
more ungodly than all who were before him, when he afterwards
repented, was ranked amongst the friends of God. Now if, looking to
the magnitude of his own iniquities, he had despaired of
restoration and repentance, he would have missed all which he
afterwards obtained: but as it was, looking to the boundlessness of
God’s tender mercy instead of the enormity of his transgressions,
and having broken in sunder the bonds of the devil, he rose up and
contended with him, and finished the good course.235
And not only by what was done to
these men, but also by the words of the prophet does God destroy
the counsels of despair, speaking on this wise: “To-day, if ye
will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the
provocation.”236
Now that
expression “to-day,” may be uttered at every time of life, even
on the verge of old age, if you desire it: for repentance is judged
not by quantity of time, but by disposition of the soul. For the
Ninevites did not need many days to blot out their sin, but the
short space of one day availed to efface all their iniquity: and
the robber also did not take a long time to effect his entrance
into Paradise, but in such a brief moment as one might occupy in
uttering a single word, did he wash off all the sins which he had
committed in his whole life, and received the prize bestowed by the
divine approval even before the Apostles. And we also see the
martyrs obtain glorious crowns for themselves in the course, not of
many years, but of a few days, and often in a single day
only.
7. Wherefore we have need of zeal in every
direction, and much preparation of mind: and if we so order our
conscience as to hate our former wickedness, and choose the
contrary path with as much energy as God desires and commands, we
shall not have anything less on account of the short space of time:
many at least who were last have far outstripped those who were
first. For to have fallen is not a grievous thing, but to remain
prostrate after falling, and not to get up again; and, playing the
coward and the sluggard, to conceal feebleness of moral purpose
under the reasoning of despair. To whom also the prophet spoke in
perplexity saying “Doth he who falleth not rise up, or he who turneth away not
turn back?”237
But if you
inquire of me for instances of persons who have fallen away after
having believed, all these things have been said with reference to
such persons, for he who has fallen belonged formerly to those who
were standing, not to those who were prostrate; for how should one
in that condition fall? But other things also shall be said, partly
by means of parables, partly by plainer deeds and words. Now that
sheep which had got separated from the ninety and nine,238
and then was
brought back again, represents to us nothing else than the fall and
return of the faithful; for it was a sheep not of some alien flock,
but belonging to the same number as the rest, and was formerly
pastured by the same shepherd, and it strayed on no common
straying, but wandered away to the mountains and in valleys, that
is to say some long journey, far distant from the right path. Did
he then suffer it to stray? By no means, but brought it back
neither driving it, nor beating it, but taking it upon his
shoulders. For as the best physicians bring back those who are far
gone in sickness with careful treatment to a state of health, not
only treating them according to the laws of the medical art, but
sometimes also giving them gratification: even so God conducts to
virtue those who are much depraved, not with great severity, but
gently and gradually, and supporting them on every side, so that
the separation may not become greater, nor the error more
prolonged. And the same truth is implied in the parable of the
prodigal son as well as in this. For he also was no stranger, but a
son, and a brother of the child who had been well pleasing to the
father, and he plunged into no ordinary vice, but went to the very
extremity, so to say, of evil, he the rich and free and well-bred
son being reduced to a more miserable condition than that of
household slaves, strangers, and hirelings. Nevertheless he
returned again to his original condition, and had his former honour
restored to him. But if he had despaired of his life, and, dejected
by what had befallen him, had remained in the foreign land, he
would not have obtained what he did obtain, but would have been
consumed with hunger, and so have undergone the most pitiable
death: but since he repented, and did not despair, he was restored,
even after such great corruption, to the same splendour as before,
and was arrayed in the most beautiful robe, and enjoyed greater
honours than his brother who had not fallen. For “these many
years,” saith he “do I serve thee, neither transgressed I thy
commandment at any time, and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I
might make merry with my friends; but when this thy son is come who
hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the
fatted calf.”239
So great is
the power of repentance.
8. Having then such great examples, let us not
continue in evil, nor despair of reconciliation, but let us say
also ourselves “I will go to my Father,” and let us draw nigh
to God. For He Himself never turns away from us, but it is we who
put ourselves far off: for “I am a God” we read “at hand and
not a God afar off.”240
| 240 Jer.
xxiii. 23, where the
passage is interrogatory, “Am I a God at hand and not?” etc.,
being a warning addressed to those who hoped to elude the vigilance
of God, so that it is not quite appropriate here. | And again, when He was rebuking
them by the mouth of this prophet He said “Do not your sins
separate between you and me?”241
| 241 Isa. lix.
2. Chrysostom by mistake
attributes the quotation to Jeremiah. | Inasmuch then as this is the cause
which puts us far from God, let us remove this obnoxious barrier,
which prevents any near approach being made.
But now hear how this has actually occurred in
real instances. Amongst the Corinthians some man of mark committed
a sin such as was not named even among the Gentiles. This man was a
believer and belonged to the household of Christ; and some say that
he was actually a member of the priesthood. What then? Did Paul cut
him off from the communion of those who were in the way of
salvation. By no means: for he himself it is who rebukes the
Corinthians countless times, backwards and forwards, because they
did not bring the man to a state of repentance: but, desiring to
prove to us that there is no sin which cannot be healed, he said
again concerning the man who had transgressed more grievously than
the Gentiles: “Deliver such an one to Satan for destruction of
the flesh that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus
Christ.”242
Now this was
prior to repentance: but after he had repented “Sufficient,”
said he, “for such an one is this punishment which was inflicted
by the many243
” and he
charged them by a letter to console the man again, and to welcome
his repentance, so that he should not be got the better of by
Satan. Moreover when the whole Galatian people fell after having
believed, and wrought miracles, and endured many trials for the
sake of their faith in Christ he sets them up again. For that they
had done miracles he testified when he said: “He therefore that
supplieth to you the Spirit and worketh miracles among you:”244
and that
they endured many contests for the sake of the faith, he also
testified when he says:
“Have ye suffered so many things in vain
if it be indeed in vain.”245
Nevertheless after making so great
an advance they committed sin sufficient to estrange them from
Christ concerning which he declares saying: “Behold, I Paul tell
you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing:”
and again “ye who would be justified by the law are fallen away
from grace:”246
and yet even
after so great a lapse he welcomes them saying “my little
children of whom I am in travail again until Christ be formed in
you247
” showing
that after extreme perversion it is possible for Christ to be
formed again in us: for He doth not desire the death of a sinner,
but rather that he should be convened and live.
9. Let us then turn to Him, my beloved friend,
and execute the will of God. For He created us and brought us into
being, that He might make us partakers of eternal blessings, that
He might offer us the kingdom of Heaven, not that He might cast us
into Hell and deliver us to the fire; for this was made not for us,
but for the devil: but for us the kingdom has been destined and
made ready of old time. And by way of indicating both these truths
He saith to those on the right hand, “Come ye blessed of my
Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world:” but to those on the left “Depart from me, ye
cursed, into fire everlasting prepared” (he no longer says “for
you” but) “for the devil and his angels.”248
Thus hell has not been made for us
but for him and his angels: but the kingdom has been prepared for
us before the foundation of the world. Let us not then make
ourselves unworthy of entrance into the bride-chamber: for as long
as we are in this world, even if we commit countless sins it is
possible to wash them all away by manifesting repentance for our
offences: but when once we have departed to the other world, even
if we display the most earnest repentance it will be of no avail,
not even if we gnash our teeth, beat our breasts, and utter
innumerable calls for succour, no one with the tip of his finger
will apply a drop to our burning bodies, but we shall only hear
those words which the rich man heard in the parable “Between us
and you a great gulf has been fixed.”249
Let us then, I beseech you, recover
our senses here and let us recognize our Master as He ought to be
recognized. For only when we are in Hades should we abandon the
hope derived from repentance: for there only is this remedy weak
and unprofitable: but while we are here even if it is applied in
old age itself it exhibits much strength. Wherefore also the devil
sets everything in motion in order to root in us the reasoning
which comes of despair: for he knows that if we repent even a
little we shall not do this without some reward. But just as he who
gives a cup of cold water has his recompense reserved for him, so
also the man who has repented of the evils which he has done, even
if he cannot exhibit the repentance which his offences deserve,
will have a commensurate reward. For not a single item of good,
however small it may be, will be overlooked by the righteous judge.
For if He makes such an exact scrutiny of our sins, as to require
punishment for both our words and thoughts, much more will our good
deeds, whether they be great or small, be reckoned to our credit at
that day. Wherefore, even if thou art not able to return again to
the most exact state of discipline, yet if thou withdraw thyself in
a slight degree at least from thy present disorder and excess, even
this will not be impossible: only set thyself to the task at once,
and open the entrance into the place of contest; but as long as
thou tarriest outside this naturally seems difficult and
impracticable to thee. For before making the trial even if things
are easy and manageable they are wont to present an appearance of
much difficulty to us: but when we are actually engaged in the
trial, and making the venture the greater part of our distress is
removed, and confidence taking the place of tremor and despair
lessens the fear and increases the facility of operation, and makes
our good hopes stronger. For this reason also the wicked one
dragged Judas out of this world lest he should make a fair
beginning, and so return by means of repentance to the point from
which he fell. For although it may seem a strange thing to say, I
will not admit even that sin to be too great for the succour which
is brought to us from repentance. Wherefore I pray and beseech you
to banish all this Satanic mode of thinking from your soul, and to
return to this state of salvation. For if indeed I were commanding
you to ascend to your former altitude all at once, you would
naturally complain of there being much difficulty in doing this:
but if all which I now ask you to do is to get up and return thence
in the opposite direction, why do you hesitate, and shrink, and
make a retrograde movement? Have you not seen those who have died
in the midst of luxury and drunkenness, and sport and all the other
folly of this life? Where are they now who used to strut through
the market place with much pomp, and a crowd of attendants? who
were clothed in silk and redolent with perfumes, and kept a table
for their parasites, and were in constant attendance at the
theatre? What has now become of all that
parade of theirs? It is all gone;—the costly
splendour of their banquets, the throng of musicians, the
attentions of flatterers, the loud laughter, the relaxation of
spirit, the enervation of mind, the voluptuous, abandoned,
extravagant manner of life—it has all come to an end. Where now
have all these things taken their flight? What has become of the
body which enjoyed so much attention, and cleanliness. Go thy way
to the coffin, behold the dust, the ashes, the worms, behold the
loathsomeness of the place, and groan bitterly. And would that the
penalty were limited to the ashes! but now transfer thy thought
from the coffin and these worms to that undying worm, to the fire
unquenchable, to the gnashing of teeth, to the outer darkness, to
affliction and straitness, to the parable of Lazarus and the rich
man, who although the owner of so much wealth, and clothed in
purple could not become the owner of even a drop of water; and this
when he was placed in a condition of such great necessity. The
things of this world are in their nature no-wise better than
dreams. For just as those who work in the mines or suffer some
other kind of punishment more severe than this, when they have
fallen asleep owing to their many weary toils and the extreme
bitterness of their life, and in their dreams see themselves living
in luxury and prosperity, are in no wise grateful to their dreams
after they have awaked, even so that rich man having become rich in
this present life, as it were in a dream, after his departure hence
was punished with that bitter punishment. Consider these things,
and having contrasted that fire with the conflagration of desires
which now possesses thee, release thyself from the furnace. For he
who has thoroughly quenched this furnace here, will have no
experience of that in the other world: but if a man does not get
the better of this furnace here, the other will lay hold of him
more vehemently when he has departed hence. How long a time dost
thou wish the enjoyment of the present life to be extended? For I
do not suppose indeed that more than fifty years remain to thee so
as to reach extreme old age, nor indeed is even this at all assured
to us: for how should they who cannot be confident about living
even to the evening rely upon so many years as these? And not only
is this uncertain, but there is the uncertainty also of a change in
our affairs, for often when life has been extended for a long
period, the conditions of luxury have not been extended with it,
but have come, and at the same time hastily departed. However, if
you like, let it be granted for argument’s sake, that you will
live so many years, and will not sustain any reverse of fortune
what is this compared with the endless ages, and those bitter deed
and intolerable punishments? For here indeed both good and evil
things have an end, and that very speedily: but there, both are
coextensive with immortal ages, and in their quality differ
unspeakably from the things which now are.
10. For when you hear of fire, do not suppose the
fire in that world to be like this: for fire in this world burns up
and makes away with anything which it takes hold of; but that fire
is continually burning those who have once been seized by it, and
never ceases: therefore also is it called unquenchable. For those
also who have sinned must put on immortality, not for honour, but
to have a constant supply of material for that punishment to work
upon; and how terrible this is, speech could never depict, but from
the experience of little things it is possible to form some slight
notion of these great ones. For if you should ever be in a bath
which has been heated more than it ought to be, think then, I pray
you, on the fire of hell: or again if you are ever inflamed by some
severe fever transfer your thoughts to that flame, and then you
will be able clearly to discern the difference. For if a bath and a
fever so afflict and distress us, what will our condition be when
we have fallen into that river of fire which winds in front of the
terrible judgment-seat. Then we shall gnash our teeth under the
suffering of our labours and intolerable pains: but there will be
no one to succour us: yea we shall groan mightily, as the flame is
applied more severely to us, but we shall see no one save those who
are being punished with us, and great desolation. And how should
any one describe the terrors arising to our souls from the
darkness? for just as that fire has no consuming power so neither
has it any power of giving light: for otherwise there would not be
darkness. The dismay produced in us then by this, and the trembling
and the great astonishment can be sufficiently realized in that day
only. For in that world many and various kinds of torment and
torrents of punishment are poured in upon the soul from every side.
And if any one should ask, “and how can the soul bear up against
such a multitude of punishments and continue being chastised
through interminable ages,” let him consider what happens in this
world, how many have often borne up against a long and severe
disease. And if they have died, this has happened not because the
soul was consumed but because the body was exhausted, so that had
the latter not broken down, the soul would not have ceased being
tormented. When then we have received an incorruptible and
inconsumable body there is nothing to prevent the punishment being
indefinitely extended.
For here indeed it is impossible that the two things should
coexist. I mean severity of punishment and permanence of being, but
the one contends with the other, because the nature of the body is
perishable and cannot bear the concurrence of both: but when the
imperishable state has supervened, there would be an end of this
strife, and both these terrible things will keep their hold upon us
for infinite time with much force. Let us not then so dispose
ourselves now as if the excessive power of the tortures were
destructive of the soul: for even the body will not be able to
experience this at that time, but will abide together with the
soul, in a state of eternal punishment, and there will not be any
end to look to beyond this. How much luxury then, and how much time
will you weigh in the balance against this punishment and
vengeance? Do you propose a period of a hundred years or twice as
long? and what is this compared with the endless ages? For what the
dream of a single day is in the midst of a whole lifetime, that the
enjoyment of things here is as contrasted with the state of things
to come. Is there then any one who, for the sake of seeing a good
dream, would elect to be perpetually punished? Who is so senseless
as to have recourse to this kind of retribution? For I am not yet
accusing luxury nor revealing now the bitterness which lurks in it:
for the present is not the proper time for these remarks, but when
ye have been able to escape it. For now, entangled as you are by
this passion, you will suspect me of talking nonsense, if I were to
call pleasure bitter: but when by the grace of God you have been
released from the malady then you will know its topics for another
season, what I will say now is just this: Be it so, that luxury is
luxury, and pleasure, pleasure, and that they have nothing in them
painful or disgraceful, what shall we say to the punishment which
is in store for us? and what shall we do then if we have taken our
pleasure now, as it were in a shadow and a figure, but undergo
everlasting torment there in reality, when we might in a short
space of time escape these tortures already mentioned, and enjoy
the good things which are stored up for us? For this also is the
work of the loving-kindness of God, that our struggles are not
protracted to a great length, but that after struggling for a
brief, and tiny twinkling of an eye (for such is present life
compared with the other) we receive crowns of victory for endless
ages. And it will be no small affliction to the souls of those who
are being punished at that time, to reflect, that when they had it
in their power in the few days of this life to make all good, they
neglected their opportunity and surrendered themselves to
everlasting evil. And lest we should suffer this let us rouse
ourselves while it is the accepted time, while it is the day of
salvation,250
while the
power of repentance is great. For not only the evils already
mentioned, but others also far worse than these await us if we are
indolent. These indeed, and some bitterer than these have their
place in hell: but the loss of the good things involves so much
pain, so much affliction and straitness, that even if no other kind
of punishment were appointed for those who sin here, it would of
itself be sufficient to vex us more bitterly than the torments in
hell, and to confound our souls.
11. For consider I pray the condition of the
other life, so far as it is possible to consider it; for no words
will suffice for an adequate description: but from the things which
are told us, as if by means of certain riddles, let us try and get
some indistinct vision of it. “Pain and sorrow and sighing,” we
read “have fled away.”251
What then could be more blessed
than this life? It is not possible there to fear poverty and
disease: it is not possible to see any one injuring, or being
injured, provoking, or being provoked, or angry, or envious, or
burning with any outrageous lust, or anxious concerning the supply
of the necessaries of life, or bemoaning himself over the loss of
some dignity and power: for all the tempest of passion in us is
quelled and brought to nought, and all will be in a condition of
peace, and gladness and joy, all things serene and tranquil, all
will be daylight and brightness, and light, not this present light,
but one excelling this in splendour as much as this excels the
brightness of a lamp. For things are not concealed in that world by
night, or by a gathering of clouds: bodies there are not set on
fire and burned: for there is neither night nor evening there, nor
cold nor heat, nor any other variation of seasons: but the
condition is of a different kind, such as they only will know who
have been deemed worthy of it; there is no old age there, nor any
of the evils of old age, but all things relating to decay are
utterly removed, and incorruptible glory reigns in every part. But
greater than all these things is the perpetual enjoyment of
intercourse with Christ in the company of angels, and archangels,
and the higher powers. Behold now the sky, and pass through it in
thought to the region beyond the sky, and consider the
transfiguration to take place in the whole creation; for it will
not continue to be such as it is now, but will be far more
brilliant and beautiful,
and just as gold glistens more brightly
than lead, so will the future constitution of the universe be
better than the present: even as the blessed Paul saith “Because
the creation also itself shall be delivered from the bondage of
corruption.”252
For now
indeed, seeing that it partakes of corruption, it is subject to
many things such as bodies of this kind naturally experience: but
then, having divested itself of all these things, we shall see it
display its beauty in an incorruptible form: for inasmuch as it is
to receive incorruptible bodies, it will in future be itself also
transfigured into the nobler condition. Nowhere in that world will
there be sedition and strife: for great is the concord of the band
of saints, all being ever in harmony with one another. It is not
possible there to fear the devil, and the plots of demons, or the
threatenings of hell, or death, either that death which now is, or
the other death which is far worse than this, but every terror of
this kind will have been done away. And just as some royal child,
who has been brought up in mean guise, and subject to fear and
threats, lest he should deteriorate by indulgence and become
unworthy of his paternal inheritance, as soon as he has attained
the royal dignity, immediately exchanges all his former raiment for
the purple robe, and the diadem and the crowd of body-guards, and
assumes his state with much confidence, having cast out of his soul
thoughts of humility and subjection, and having taken others in
their place; even so will it happen then to all the
saints.
And to prove that these words are no empty
vaunt let us journey in thought to the mountain where Christ was
transfigured: let us behold him shining as He shone there; and yet
even then He did not display to us all the splendour of the world
to come. For that the vision was accommodated to human eyes, and
not an exact manifestation of the reality is plain from the very
words of the Evangelist. For what saith he? “He did shine as the
Sun.”253
But the
glory of incorruptible bodies does not emit the same kind of light
as this body which is corruptible, nor is it of a kind to be
tolerable to mortal eyes, but needs incorruptible and immortal eyes
to contemplate it. But at that time on the mountain He disclosed to
them as much as it was possible for them to see without injuring
the sight of the beholders; and even so they could not endure it
but fell upon their faces. Tell me, if any one led thee into some
bright place, where all were sitting arrayed in vestures of gold,
and in the midst of the multitude pointed out one other to thee who
alone had garments wrought with precious stones, and a crown upon
his head, and then promised to place thee in the ranks of this
people, wouldst thou not do everything to obtain this promise? Open
then even now in imagination thine eyes, and look on that assembly,
composed not of men such as we are, but of those who are of more
value than gold and precious stones, and the beams of the sun, and
all visible radiance, and not consisting of men only but of beings
of much more dignity than men,—angels, archangels, thrones,
dominions, principalities, powers. For as concerning the king it is
not even possible to say what he is like: so completely do his
beauty, his grace, his splendour, his glory, his grandeur and
magnificence elude speech and thought. Shall we then, I ask,
deprive ourselves of such great blessings, in order to avoid
suffering for a brief period? For if we had to endure countless
deaths every day, or even hell itself, for the sake of seeing
Christ coming in His glory, and being enrolled in the company of
the saints, ought we not to undergo all those things? Hear what the
blessed Peter says; “it is good for us to be here.”254
But if he,
when he beheld some dim image of the things to come, immediately
cast away all other things out of his soul on account of the
pleasure produced in it by that vision; what would any one say when
the actual reality of the things is presented, when the palace is
thrown open and it is permitted to gaze upon the King Himself, no
longer darkly, or by means of a mirror,255
but face to face; no longer by
means of faith, but by sight?
12. The majority it is true of those who are not
very sensibly minded propose to be content with escaping hell; but
I say that a far more severe punishment than hell is exclusion from
the glory of the other world, and I think that one who has failed
to reach it ought not to sorrow so much over the miseries of hell,
as over his rejection from heaven, for this alone is more dreadful
than all other things in respect of punishment. But frequently now
when we see a king, attended by a large bodyguard, enter the
palace, we count those happy who are near him, and have a share in
his speech and mind, and partake of all the rest of his glory; and
even if we have countless blessings, we have no perception of any
of them, and deem ourselves miserable when we look at the glory of
those who are round about him, although we know that such splendour
is slippery and insecure, both on account of wars, and plots, and
envy, and because apart from these things it is not in itself
worthy of any
consideration. But where the king of all is
concerned, he who holds not a portion of the earth but the whole
circuit of it, or rather who comprehends it all in the hollow of
his hand, and measures the Heavens with a span, who upholdeth all
things by the word of His power,256
by whom all the nations are counted
as nought, and as a drop of spittle;—in the case of such a king I
say shall we not reckon it the most extreme punishment to miss
being enrolled in that company which is round about him, but be
content if we merely escape hell? and what could be more pitiable
than this condition of soul? For this king does not come to judge
the earth, drawn by a pair of white mules, nor riding in a golden
chariot, nor arrayed in a purple robe and diadem. How then does He
come? Hear the prophets crying aloud and saying as much as it is
possible to tell to men: for one saith “God shall come openly,
even our God and shall not keep silence: a fire shall be kindled
before Him, and a mighty tempest shall be round about Him: He shall
call the Heaven from above and the earth that He may judge His
people.”257
But Esaias
depicts the actual punishment impending over us speaking thus:
“Behold the day of the Lord cometh, inexorable, with wrath and
anger; to lay the whole world desolate, and to destroy sinners out
of it. For the stars of Heaven, and Orion, and the whole system of
the heaven shall not give their light, and the sun shall be
darkened in its going down,258
| 258 There is a variation from the LXX. here. | and the moon shall not give her
light; and I will ordain evils against the whole world, and visit
their sins upon the ungodly, and I will destroy the insolence of
the lawless, and humble the insolence of the proud, and they who
are left shall be more precious than unsmelted gold, and a man
shall be more precious than the sapphire stone. For the heaven
shall be disturbed259
| 259 The LXX. has
θυμωθήσεται, “shall be made
wroth.” | and the earth shall be shaken from
its foundations by reason of the fury of the wrath of the Lord of
Sabaoth, in the day when His wrath shall come upon us.”260
And again
“windows” he saith “shall be opened from the Heaven, and the
foundations of the earth shall be shaken: the earth shall be
mightily confounded, the earth shall be bent low, it shall be
perplexed with great perplexity, the earth shall stagger grievously
like the drunkard and the reveller; the earth shall shake as a hut,
it shall fall and not be able to rise up again: for iniquity has
waxed mighty therein. And God shall set His hand upon the host of
the Heaven in the height in that day, and upon the kingdoms of the
earth, and He shall gather together the congregation thereof into a
prison, and shall shut them up in a stronghold.”261
And Malachi
speaking concordantly with these said “Behold the Lord almighty
cometh, and who shall abide the day of His coming or who shall
stand when He appeareth? for He cometh like a refiner’s fire, and
like fullers soap: and He shall sit refining and purifying as it
were silver, and as it were gold.”262
And again, “Behold,” he saith,
“the day of the Lord cometh, burning like an oven, and it shall
consume them, and all the aliens, and all who work iniquity shall
be stubble, and the day which is coming shall set fire to them
saith the Lord almighty; and there shall be left neither root nor
branch.”263
And the man
greatly beloved saith “I beheld until thrones were placed, and
the Ancient of Days was seated, and his raiment was white as snow,
and the hair of his head was pure as wool: His throne was a flame
of fire, and the wheels thereof burning fire: a stream of fire
wound its way in front of Him. Thousand thousands ministered unto
Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The
judgment was set and the books were opened.”264
| 264 Dan. vii. 9. 10" id="v.iii-p61.1" parsed="|Dan|7|9|0|0;|Dan|10|0|0|0" osisRef="Bible:Dan.7.9 Bible:Dan.10">Dan. vii.
9. 10. Slightly
varied from the LXX.: for the designation
of Daniel as “greatly beloved,” see
Dan. x. 11. | Then after a little space “I
beheld,” he says, “in a vision of the night and behold with the
clouds of Heaven, one came like the Son of Man, and reached unto
the Ancient of Days, and was brought near before Him, and to Him
was given rule, and honor, and the kingdom, and all the people,
tribes and tongues serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom shall not be
destroyed. As for me Daniel, my spirit shuddered within me, and the
visions of my head troubled me.”265
Then all the gates of the heavenly
vaults are opened, or rather the heaven itself is taken away out of
the midst “for the heaven,” we read “shall be rolled up like
a scroll,”266
wrapped up
in the middle like the skin and covering of some tent so as to be
transformed into some better shape. Then all things are full of
amazement and horror and trembling: then even the angels themselves
are holden by much fear, and not angels only but also archangels
and thrones, and dominions, and principalities and authorities.
“For the powers” we read “of the heavens shall be shaken,”
because their fellow-servants are required to give an account of
their life in this world.267
For if when a single city is being
judged before rulers in this world, all men shudder, even those who are
outside the danger, when the whole world is arraigned before such a
judge as this who needs no witnesses, or proofs, but independently
of all these things brings forward deeds and words and thoughts,
and exhibits them all as in some picture both to those who have
committed the sins and to those who are ignorant of them, how is it
not natural that every power should be confounded and shake? For if
there were no river of fire winding by, nor any terrible angels
standing by the side of the throne, but men were merely summoned
some to be praised and admired, others to be dismissed with
ignominy that they might not see the glory of God, (“For let the
ungodly” we read “be taken away that he may not see the glory
of the Lord”268
| 268 I have not succeeded in finding the source of this
quotation. Comp. Ps. i.
5. | ) and if this
were the only punishment would not the loss of such blessings sting
the souls of those who were deprived of them more bitterly than all
hell itself? For how great an evil this is cannot possibly be
represented now in words; but then we shall know it clearly in the
actual reality. But now I pray add the punishment also to the
scene, and imagine men not only covered with shame, and veiling
their heads, and bending them low, but also being dragged along the
road to the fire, and haled away to the instruments of torture and
delivered over to the cruel powers, and suffering these things just
at the time when all they who have practised what is good, and
wrought deeds worthy of eternal life, are being crowned, and
proclaimed conquerors, and presented before the royal
throne.
13. Now these are things which will happen in
that day: but the things which will follow, after these, what
language can describe to us—the pleasure, the profit, the joy of
being in the company of Christ? For when the soul has returned to
the proper condition of nobility, and is able henceforth with much
boldness to behold its Master it is impossible to say what great
pleasure it derives therefrom, what great gain, rejoicing not only
in the good things actually in hand, but in the persuasion that
these things will never come to an end. All that gladness then
cannot be described in words, nor grasped by the understanding: but
in a dim kind of way, as one indicates great things by means of
small ones, I will endeavour to make it manifest. For let us
scrutinize those who enjoy the good things of the world in this
present life, I mean wealth and power, and glory, how, exulting
with delight, they reckon themselves as no longer being upon the
earth, and this although the things which they are enjoying are
acknowledged not to be really good, and do not abide with them, but
take to flight more quickly than a dream: and even if they should
even last for a little time, their favour is displayed within the
limits of this present life, and cannot accompany us further. Now
if these things uplift those who possess them to such a pitch of
joy, what do you suppose is the condition of those souls which are
invited to enjoy the countless blessings in Heaven which are always
securely fixed and stable? And not only this, but also in their
quantity and quality they excel present things to such an extent as
never entered even the heart of man.269
For at the present time like an
infant in the womb, even so do we dwell in this world confined in a
narrow space, and unable to behold the splendour and the freedom of
the world to come: but when the time of travail arrives and the
present life is delivered at the day of judgment of all men whom it
has contained, those who have been miscarried go from darkness into
darkness, and from affliction into more grievous affliction: but
those which are perfectly formed and have preserved the marks of
the royal image will be presented to the king, and will take upon
themselves that service which angels and archangels minister to the
God of all. I pray thee then, O friend, do not finally efface these
marks, but speedily restore them, and stamp them more perfectly on
thy soul. For corporeal beauty indeed God has confined within the
limits of nature, but grace of soul is released from the constraint
and bondage arising from that cause inasmuch as it is far superior
to any bodily symmetry: and it depends entirely upon ourselves and
the grace of God. For our Master, being merciful has in this
special way honoured our race, that He has entrusted to the
necessity of nature the inferior things which contribute nothing
much to our advantage, and in their issue are matters of
indifference, but of the things which are really noble He has
caused us to be ourselves the artificers. For if He had placed
corporeal beauty also under our control we should have been
subjected to excessive anxiety, and should have wasted all our time
upon things which are of no profit, and should have grievously
neglected our soul.
For if, even as it is, when we have not this power
in ourselves, we make violent efforts, and give ourselves up to
shadow painting, and because we cannot in reality produce bodily
beauty, cunningly devise imitations by means of paints, and dyes,
and dressing of hair, and arrangement of garments, and pencilling
of eyebrows, and many other contrivances: what leisure should we
have set apart for the soul
and serious matters, if we had it in our
power to transfigure the body into a really symmetrical shape? For
probably, if this were our business, we should not have any other,
but should spend all our time upon it: decking the bondmaid with
countess decorations, but letting her who is the mistress of this
bond-maid lie perpetually in a state of deformity and neglect. For
this reason God, having delivered us from this vain occupation,
implanted in us the power of working upon the nobler element, and
he who cannot turn an ugly body into a comely one, can raise the
soul, even when it has been reduced to the extremity of ugliness,
to the very acme of grace, and make it so amiable and desirable
that not only are good men brought to long after it but even He who
is the sovereign and God of all, even as the Psalmist also when
discoursing concerning this beauty, said “And the king shall have
desire of thy beauty.”270
Seest thou not also that in the
houses of prostitutes the women who are ugly and shameless would
hardly be accepted by prize-fighters, and runaway slaves, and
gladiators: but should any comely, well-born and modest woman,
owing to some mischance, have been reduced to this necessity, no
man, even amongst those who are very illustrious and great, would
be ashamed of marriage with her? Now if there is so much pity
amongst men, and so much disdain of glory as to release from that
bondage the women who have often been disgraced in the brothel, and
to place them in the position of wives, much more is this the case
with God, and those souls which, owing to the usurpation of the
devil, have fallen from their original noble condition into the
harlotry of this present life. And you will find the prophets
filled with examples of this kind, when they address Jerusalem; for
she fell into fornication, and a novel form of it, even as Ezekiel
says: “To all harlots wages are given, but thou hast given wages
to thy lovers, and there hath been perversion in thee beyond all
other women,”271
and again
another saith “Thou didst sit waiting for them like a deserted
bird.”272
This one
then who hath committed fornication in this fashion God calls back
again. For the captivity which took place was not so much by way of
vengeance as for the purpose of conversion and amendment since if
God had wished to punish them outright, He would not again have
brought them back to their home. He would not have established
their city and their temple in greater splendour than before:
“For the final glory of this house” He said “shall exceed the
former.”273
Now if God
did not exclude from repentance her who had many times committed
fornication, much more will He embrace thy soul, which has now
fallen for the first time. For certainly there is no lover of
corporeal beauty, even if he be very frantic, who is so inflamed
with the love of his mistress as God longs after the salvation of
our souls; and this we may perceive both from the things which
happen every day and from the divine Scriptures. See at least, both
in the introduction of Jeremiah, and many other places of the
prophets, when He is despised and contemned, how He again hastens
forward and pursues the friendship of those who turn away from him;
which also He Himself made clear in the Gospels saying, “O
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! thou that killest the prophets and stonest
them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy
children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her
wings, and ye would not?”274
And Paul writing to the Corinthians
said “that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself,
not reckoning their trespasses unto them, and having committed unto
us the word of reconciliation. We are ambassadors therefore on
behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us; we beseech
you on behalf of Christ be ye reconciled to God.”275
Consider
that this has now been said to us. For it is not merely want of
faith, but also an unclean life which is sufficient to work this
abominate enmity. “For the carnal mind” we read “is enmity
against God.”276
Let us then
break down the barrier, and hew it in pieces, and destroy it, that
we may enjoy the blessed reconciliation, that we may become again
the fondly beloved of God.
14. I know that thou art now admiring the grace of
Hermione, and thou judgest that there is nothing in the world to be
compared to her comeliness; but if you choose, O friend, you shall
yourself exceed her in comeliness and gracefulness, as much as
golden statues surpass those which are made of clay. For if beauty,
when it occurs in the body, so fascinates and excites the minds of
most men, when the soul is refulgent with it what can match beauty
and grace of this kind? For the groundwork of this corporeal beauty
is nothing else but phlegm, and blood, and humor, and bile, and the
fluid of masticated food. For by these things both eyes and cheeks,
and all the other features, are supplied with moisture; and if they
do not receive that moisture, daily skin becoming unduly withered,
and the eyes sunken, the
whole grace of the countenance forthwith vanishes; so that if you
consider what is stored up inside those beautiful eyes, and that
straight nose, and the mouth and the cheeks, you will affirm the
well-shaped body to be nothing else than a whited sepulchre; the
parts within are full of so much uncleanness. Moreover when you see
a rag with any of these things on it, such as phlegm, or spittle
you cannot bear to touch it with even the tips of your fingers, nay
you cannot even endure looking at it; and yet are you in a flutter
of excitement about the storehouses and depositories of these
things? But thy beauty was not of this kind, but excelled it as
heaven is superior to earth; or rather it was much better and more
brilliant than this. For no one has anywhere seen a soul by itself,
stripped of the body; but yet even so I will endeavour to present
to you the beauty of this soul from another source. I mean from the
case of the greater powers. Hear at least how the beauty of these
struck the man greatly beloved; for wishing to set forth their
beauty and being unable to find a body of the same character, he
had recourse to metallic substances, and he was not satisfied even
with these, but took the brilliancy of lightning for his
illustration.277
Now if those
powers, even when they did not disclose their essential nature pure
and bare, but only in a very dim and shadowy way, nevertheless
shone so brightly, what must naturally be their appearance, when
set free from every veil? Now we ought to form some such image of
the beauty of the soul. “For they shall be,” we read “equal
unto the angels.”278
Now in the case of bodies the
lighter and finer kinds, and those which have retreated to the path
which tend towards the incorporeal, are very much better and more
wonderful than the others. The sky at least is more beautiful than
the earth, and fire than water, and the stars than precious stones;
and we admire the rainbow far more than violets and roses, and all
other flowers which are upon the earth. And in short if it were
possible with the bodily eyes to behold the beauty of the soul you
would laugh to scorn these corporeal illustrations, so feebly have
they presented to us the gracefulness of the soul. Let us not then
neglect such a possession, nor such great happiness, and especially
when the approach to that kind of beauty becomes easy to us by our
hopes of the things to come. “For our light affliction,” we
read, “which is but for the moment, worketh for us more and more
exceedingly an eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the
things which are seen but at the things which are not seen; for the
things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not
seen are eternal.”279
Now if the blessed Paul called such
afflictions as thou wottest of light and easy, because he did not
look at the things which are seen, much more tolerable is it merely
to cease from wantonness. For we are not calling thee to those
dangers which he underwent, nor to those deaths which he incurred
daily,280
the constant
beatings and scourgings, the bonds, the enmity of the whole world,
the hatred of his own people, the frequent vigils, the long
journies, the shipwrecks, the attacks of robbers, the plots of his
own kinsfolk, the distresses on account of his friends, the hunger,
the cold, the nakedness, the burning, the despondency on account
both of those who belonged to him, and those who did not belong to
him. None of these things do we now demand of thee; all that we ask
for is that you would release yourself from your accursed bondage,
and return to your former freedom, having considered both the
punishment arising from your wantonness, and the honor belonging to
your former manner of life. For that unbelievers should be but
languidly affected by the thought of the resurrection and never be
in fear of this kind, is nothing wonderful; but that we who are
more firmly persuaded concerning the things of the other world than
those of the present, should spend our life in this miserable and
deplorable way and be nowise affected by the memory of those
things, but sink into a state of extreme insensibility—this is
irrational in the highest degree. For when we who believe do the
deeds of unbelievers, or rather are in a more miserable plight than
they (for there are some among them who have been eminent for the
virtue of their life), what consolation, what excuse will be left
for us? And many merchants indeed who have incurred shipwreck have
not given way, but have pursued the same journey, and this when the
loss which has befallen them was not owing to their own
carelessness, but to the force of the winds; and shall we who have
reason to be confident concerning the end, and know certainly that
if we do not wish it, neither shipwreck nor accident of any kind
will bring us damage, not lay hold of the work again, and carry on
our business as we did aforetime, but lie in idleness and keep our
hands to ourselves? And would that we kept them merely to
ourselves and did not use them against ourselves which is a
token of stark madness. For if any pugilist, leaving his antagonist
were to turn his hands against his own head, and deal blows to his
own face, should
we not, I ask, rank him among madmen? For
the devil has upset us and cast us down; therefore we ought to get
up, and not to be dragged down again and precipitate ourselves, and
add blows dealt by ourselves to the blows dealt by him. For the
blessed David also had a fall like that which has now happened to
you; and not this only but another also which followed it. I mean
that of murder. What then? did he remain prostrate? Did he not
immediately rise up again with energy and place himself in position
to fight the enemy? In fact he wrestled with him so bravely, that
even after his death he was the protector of his offspring. For
when Solomon had perpetrated great iniquity, and had deserved
countless deaths, God said that He would leave him the kingdom
intact, thus speaking “I will surely rend the kingdom out of
thine hand and will give it to thy servant. Nevertheless I will not
do this in thy days.” Wherefore? “For David thy father’s
sake, I will take it out of the hand of thy son.”281
And again
when Hezekiah was about to run the greatest possible risk, although
he was a righteous man, God said that He would succour him for the
sake of this saint. “For I will cast my shield” He saith,
“over this city to save it for my own sake, and for my servant
David’s sake.”282
So great is the force of
repentance. But if he had determined with himself, as you do now,
that henceforth it was impossible to propitiate God, and if he had
said within himself: “God has honoured me with great honour, and
has given me a place among the prophets, and has entrusted me with
the government of my countrymen, and rescued me out of countless
perils, how then, when I have offended against Him after such great
benefits, and have perpetrated the worst crimes, shall I be able to
recover his favour?” If he had thought thus, not only would he
not have done the things which he afterwards did, but he would have
aggravated his former evils.
15. For not only the bodily wounds work death,
if they are neglected, but also those of the soul; and yet we have
arrived at such a pitch of folly as to take the greatest care of
the former, and to overlook the latter; and although in the case of
the body it naturally often happens that many wounds are incurable,
yet we do not abandon hope, but even when we hear the physicians
constantly declaring, that it is not possible to get rid of this
suffering by medicines, we still persist in exhorting them to
devise at least some slight alleviation; but in the case of souls,
where there is no incurable malady; for it is not subject to the
necessity of nature; here, as if the infirmities were strange we
are negligent and despairing; and where the nature of the disorder
might naturally plunge us into despair, we take as much pains as if
there were great hope of restoration to health; but where there is
no occasion to renounce hope, we desist from efforts, and become as
heedless as if matters were desperate; so much more account do we
take of the body than of the soul. And this is the reason why we
are not able to save even the body. For he who neglects the leading
element, and manifests all his zeal about inferior matters destroys
and loses both; whereas he who observes the right order, and
preserves and cherishes the more commanding element, even if he
neglects the secondary element yet preserves it by means of saving
the primary one. Which also Christ signified to us when He said,
“Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the
soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body
in Hell.”283
Well, do I convince you, that one ought never
to despair of the disorders of the soul as incurable? or must I
again set other arguments in motion? For even if thou shouldst
despair of thyself ten thousand times, I will never despair of
thee, and I will never myself be guilty of that for which I
reproach others; and yet it is not the same thing for a man to
renounce hope of himself, as for another to renounce hope of him.
For he who has this suspicion concerning another may readily obtain
pardon; but he who has it of himself will not. Why so pray? Because
the one has no controlling power over the zeal and repentance of
the other, but over his own zeal and repentance a man has sole
authority. Nevertheless even so I will not despair of you; though
you should any number of times be affected in this way; for it may
be, that there will be some return to virtue, and to restoration to
thy former manner of life. And now hear what follows: The Ninevites
when they heard the prophet vehemently declaring, and plainly
threatening; “yet three days and Nineveh shall be
overthrown,”284
even then
did not lose heart, but, although they had no confidence that they
should be able to move the mind of God, or rather had reason to
suspect the contrary from the divine message (for the utterance was
not accompanied by any qualification, but was a simple
declaration), even then they manifested repentance saying: “Who
knoweth whether God will repent and be entreated, and turn from the
fierceness of His wrath, and that we perish not? And God
saw their works that they
turned from their evil ways, and God repented of the evil which He
said He would do unto them and He did it not.”285
Now if barbarian, and unreasoning
men could perceive so much, much more ought we to do this who have
been trained in the divine doctrines and have seen such a crowd of
examples of this kind both in history and actual experience. “For
my counsels” we read “are not as your counsels nor my ways as
your ways; but far as is the Heaven from the earth, so far are my
thoughts from your mind, and my counsels from your counsels.”286
Now if we
admit to our favour household slaves when they have often offended
against us, on their promising to become better, and place them
again in their former portion, and sometimes even grant them
greater freedom of speech than before; much more does God act thus.
For if God had made us in order to punish us, you might well have
despaired, and questioned the possibility of your own salvation;
but if He created us for no reason than His own good will, and with
a view to our enjoying everlasting blessings, and if He does and
contrives everything for this end, from the first day until the
present time, what is there which can ever cause you to doubt? Have
we provoked Him severely, so as no other man ever did? this is just
the reason why we ought specially to abstain from our present deeds
and to repent for the past, and exhibit a great change. For the
evils we have once perpetrated cannot provoke Him so much as our
being unwilling to make any change in the future. For to sin may be
a merely human failing, but to continue in the same sin ceases to
be human, and becomes altogether devilish. For observe how God by
the mouth of His prophet blames this more than the other.
“For,” we read, “I said unto her after she had done all these
deeds of fornication, return unto me, and yet she returned
not.”287
And again:
from another quarter, when wishing to show the great longing which
He has for our salvation, having heard how the people promised,
after many transgressions, to tread the right way He said: “Who
will grant unto them to have such an heart as to fear me, and to
keep my commandments all their days, that it may be well with them
and with their children forever?”288
And Moses when reasoning with them
said, “And now, O Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of
thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, and to walk in all His ways,
and to love Him?”289
He then who is so anxious to be
loved by us, and does everything for this end, and did not spare
even His only begotten Son on account of His love towards us, and
who counts it a desirable thing if at any time we become reconciled
to Himself, how shall He not welcome and love us when we repent?
Hear at least what He says by the mouth of the prophet: “Declare
thou first thy iniquities that thou mayest be justified.”290
Now this He
demands from us in order to intensify our love towards Him. For
when one who loves, after enduring many insults at the hands of
those who are beloved, even then does not extinguish his fondness
for them, the only reason why he takes pains to make those insults
public, is that by displaying the strength of his affection he may
induce them to feel a larger and warmer love. Now if the confession
of sins brings so much consolation, much more does the endeavour to
wash them away by means of our deeds. For if this was not the case,
but those who had once swerved from the straight path were
forbidden to return to it again, perhaps no one, except a few
persons whose numbers would be easily reckoned, would ever enter
the kingdom of Heaven; but as it is we shall find the most
distinguished among those who have fallen. For those who have
exhibited much vehemence in evil things, will also in turn exhibit
the same in good things, being conscious what great debts they have
incurred; which Christ also declared when He spoke to Simon
concerning the woman: “For seest thou,” saith He, “this
woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my
feet; but she hath washed my feet with her tears, and wiped them
with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss, but she since
the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. Mine head with
oil thou didst not anoint; but she hath anointed my feet with
ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee: her sins which are many are
forgiven; for she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, the
same loveth little. And He said unto her, thy sins are
forgiven.”291
16. For this reason also the devil, knowing that
they who have committed great evils, when they have begun to
repent, do this with much zeal, inasmuch as they are conscious of
their offences, fears and trembles lest they should make a
beginning of the work; for after they have made it they are no
longer capable of being checked, and, kindling like fire under the
influence of repentance, they render their souls purer than pure
gold, being impelled by their conscience, and the memory of their
former sins, as by some strong gale, towards the haven of virtue.
And this is the point in which
they have an advantage over those who have never fallen, that they
exercise more vehement energy; if only, as I said, they can lay
hold of the beginning. For the task which is hard and difficult of
accomplishment is to be able to set foot on the entrance, and to
reach the vestibule of repentance, and to repulse and overthrow the
enemy there when he is fiercely raging and assaulting us. But after
this, he will not display so much fury when he has once been
worsted, and has fallen where he was strong, and we shall receive
greater energy, and shall run this good race with much ease. Let us
then in future set about our return, let us hasten up to the city
which is in Heaven, in which we have been enrolled, in which also
we have been appointed to find our home as citizens. For to despair
of ourselves not only has this evil that it shuts the gates of that
city against us, and that it drives us into greater indolence and
contempt, but also that it plunges us into Satanic recklessness.
For the only cause why the devil became such as he is was that he
first of all despaired, and afterwards from despair sank into
recklessness. For the soul, when once it has abandoned its own
salvation, will no longer perceive that it is plunging downwards,
choosing to do and say everything which is adverse to its own
salvation. And just as madmen, when once they have fallen out of a
sound condition, are neither afraid nor ashamed of anything, but
fearlessly dare all manner of things, even if they have to fall
into fire, or deep water, or down a precipice; so they who have
been seized by the frenzy of despair are hence forward
unmanageable, rushing into vice in every direction, and if death
does not come to put a stop to this madness, and vehemence, they do
themselves infinite mischief. Therefore I entreat you, before you
are deeply steeped in this drunkenness, recover your senses and
rouse yourself up, and shake off this Satanic fit, doing it gently
and gradually if it be not possible to effect it all at once. For
to me indeed the easier course seems to be to wrench yourself once
for all out of all the cords which hold you down, and transfer
yourself to the school of repentance. But if this seems to you a
difficult thing, that you should be willing to enter on the path
which leads to better things, simply enter upon it, and lay hold on
eternal life. Yea, I beseech and implore you by your former
reputation, by that confidence which once was yours, let us see you
once again standing on the pinnacle of virtue, and in the same
condition of perseverance as before. Spare those who are made to
stumble on thy account, those who are falling, who are becoming
more indolent, who are despairing of the way of virtue. For
dejection now holds possession of the band of brethren, while
pleasure and cheerfulness prevail in the councils of the
unbelieving, and of those young men who are disposed to indolence.
But if thou return again to thy former strictness of life the
result will be reversed, and all our shame will be transferred to
them, while we shall enjoy much confidence, seeing thee again
crowned and proclaimed victor with more splendour than before. For
such victories bring greater renown and pleasure. For you will not
only receive the reward of your own achievements, but also of the
exhortation and consolation of others, being exhibited as a
striking model, if ever any one should fall into the same
condition, to encourage him to get up and recover himself. Do not
neglect such an opportunity of gain, nor drag our souls down into
Hades with sorrow, but let us breathe freely again, and shake off
the cloud of despondency which oppresses us on thy account. For
now, passing by the consideration of our own troubles, we mourn
over thy calamities, but if thou art willing to come to thy senses,
and see clearly, and to join the angelic host, you will release us
from this sorrow, and will take away the greater part of sins. For
that it is possible for those who have come back again after
repentance to shine with much lustre, and oftentimes more than
those who have never fallen at all, I have demonstrated from the
divine writings. Thus at least both the publicans and the harlots
inherit the kingdom of Heaven, thus many of the last are placed
before the first.
17. But I will tell thee also of events which have
happened in our own time, and of which thou mayest thyself have
been witness. You know probably that young Phœnician, the son of
Urbanus, who was untimely left an orphan, but possessed of much
money, and many slaves and lands. This man, having in the first
place bidden complete farewell to his studies in the schools, and
having laid aside the gay clothing which he formerly wore, and all
his worldly grandeur, suddenly arraying himself in a shabby cloak,
and retreating to the solitude of the mountains, exhibited a high
degree of Christian philosophy not merely in proportion to his age,
but such as any great and wonderful man might have displayed. And
after this, having been deemed worthy of initiation into the sacred
mysteries, he made still greater advances in virtue. And all were
rejoicing, and glorifying God, that one nurtured in wealth, and
having illustrious ancestors, and being still a mere youth, should
have suddenly trodden all the pomps of this life under foot, and
have ascended to the true height. Now which he
was in this condition, and an object of
admiration, certain corrupt men, who according to the law of
kindred had the oversight of him dragged him back again into the
former sea of worldliness. And so, having flung aside all his
habits, he again descended from the mountains into the midst of the
forum, and used to go all round the city, riding on horseback, and
accompanied by a large retinue; and he was no longer willing to
live even soberly; for being inflamed by much luxury, he was
constrained to fall into foolish love intrigues, and there was no
one of those conversant with him, who did not despair of his
salvation; he was encompassed by such a swarm of flatterers,
besides the snares of orphanhood, youth, and great wealth. And
persons who readily find fault with everything, accused those who
originally conducted him to this way of life,292
| 292 i.e., the life of monastic seclusion. | saying that he had both missed his
spiritual aims, and would no longer be of any use in the management
of his own affairs, having prematurely abandoned the labours of
study, and having been consequently unable to derive any benefit
therefrom. Now while these things were being said, and great shame
was felt, certain holy men who had often succeeded in this kind of
chase, and had thoroughly learned by experience that those who are
armed with hope in God ought not to despair at all of such
characters, kept a continual watch upon him, and if ever they saw
him appear in the market place they approached and saluted him. And
at first he spoke to them from horseback, askance, as they followed
by his side; so great was the shamelessness which had at first got
possession of him. But they, being merciful and loving men, were
not ashamed at all of this treatment, but continually looked to one
thing only, how they might rescue the lamb from the wolves; which
in fact they actually accomplished by means of their perseverance.
For afterwards, as if he had been converted by some sudden stroke,
and were put to shame by their great assiduity, if ever he saw them
in the distance approaching, he would instantly dismount, and
bending low would listen silently in that attitude to all which
fell from their lips, and in time he displayed even greater
reverence and respect towards them. And then, by the grace of God
having gradually rescued him out of all those entanglements, they
handed him over again to his former state of seclusion and devout
contemplation. And now he became so illustrious, that his former
life seemed to be nothing in comparison with that which he lived
after his fall. For being well aware by experience of the snare,
and having expended all his wealth upon the needy, and released
himself from all care of that kind, he cut off every pretext for an
attack from those who wished to make designs upon him; and now
treading the path which leads to heaven, he has already arrived at
the very goal of virtue.
This man indeed fell and rose again while he was
still young; but another man, after enduring great toils during his
sojourn in the deserts, with only a single companion, and leading
an angelic life, and being now on the way to old age, afforded I
know not how a little loophole to the evil one, through some
Satanic condition of mind, and carelessness; and although he had
never seen a woman since he transferred himself to the monastic
life, he fell into a passionate desire for intercourse with women.
And first of all he besought his companion to supply him with meat
and wine, and threatened, if he did not receive it, that he would
go down into the marketplace. And this he said, not so much out of
a longing for meat, as because he wished to get some handle and
pretext for returning into the city. The other being perplexed at
these things, and fearing, that if he hindered this he might drive
him into some great evil, suffered him to have his fill of this
craving. But when his companion perceived that this was a stale
device, he openly threw off shame, and unmasked his pretence, and
said that he must positively himself go down to the city, and as
the other had not power to prevent him, he desisted at last from
his efforts, and following him at a distance, watched to see what
the meaning of this return could possibly be. And having seen him
enter a brothel, and knowing that he had intercourse with a harlot
there, he waited until he had satiated that foul desire, and then,
when he came out, he received him with uplifted hands, and having
embraced and fervently kissed him, without uttering any rebuke on
account of what had happened he only besought him, seeing that he
had satiated his desire, to return again to his dwelling in the
wilderness. And the other, put to shame by his great clemency, was
immediately smitten at the heart of compunction for the deed which
he had perpetrated, followed him to the mountain; and there he
begged the man to shut him up in another hut, and, having closed
the doors of the dwelling, to supply him with bread and water on
certain days, and to inform those who enquired for him that he was
laid to rest. And when he had said this, and persuaded him, he shut
himself up, and was there continually, with fastings and prayers
and tears, wiping off from his soul the defilement of his sin. And
not long after when a drought had
settled on the neighbouring region, and all
in that country were lamenting over it, a certain man was commanded
by a vision to depart, and exhort this recluse to pray, and put an
end to the drought. And when he had departed, taking companions
with him, they found the man, who formerly dwelt with him, there
alone; and on enquiring concerning the other they were informed
that he was dead. But they, believing that they were deceived,
betook themselves again to prayer, and again by means of the same
vision heard the same things which they had heard before. And then,
standing round the man who really had deceived them, they besought
him to show the other to them; for they declared that he was not
dead but living. When he heard this, and perceived that their
compact was exposed, he brought them to that holy man; and they
having broken through the wall (for he had even blocked up the
entrance) and having all of them entered, prostrating themselves at
his feet, and informing him of what had happened, besought him to
succour them against the famine. But he at first resisted, saying
that he was far from such confidence as that; for he ever had his
sin before his eyes, as if it had only just taken place; but when
they related all which had happened to them they then induced him
to pray; and having prayed he put an end to the drought. And what
happened to that young man who was at first a disciple of John the
son of Zebedee, but afterwards for a long time became a robber
chief, and then again, having been captured by the holy hands of
the blessed Apostle returned from the robber dens and lairs to his
former virtue, thou art not ignorant, but knowest it all as
accurately as I do: and I have often heard thee admiring the great
condescension of the saint, and how he first of all kissed the
blood-stained hand of the young man, embracing him, and so brought
him back to his former condition.293
| 293 The story is told by Clement of Alexandria in his
treatise entitled “Who is the rich man that is saved?” and has
been inserted by Eusebius in his History, iii. 23. |
18. Moreover also the blessed Paul not only
welcomes Onesimus the unprofitable runaway thief, because he was
converted, but also asks his master to treat him who had repented,
on equal terms of honour with his teacher, thus saying: “I
beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds,
who was aforetime unprofitable to thee, but now is profitable to
thee and to me, whom I have sent back to thee; thou therefore
receive him, that is my very heart, whom I would fain have kept
with me, that in thy behalf he might minister unto me in the bonds
of the Gospel; but without thy mind I would do nothing that thy
goodness should not be as of necessity, but of free will. For
perhaps he was therefore parted from thee for a season that thou
shouldest have him back for ever; no longer as a servant, but above
a servant, a brother beloved, specially unto me; but how much
rather to thee both in the flesh and in the Lord? If then thou
holdest me as a partner, receive him as myself.”294
And the same
apostle, in writing to the Corinthians, said, “Lest when I come I
should mourn over many of those who have sinned beforehand and have
not repented;”295
and again,
“as I have said beforehand, so do I again declare beforehand,
that if I come again I will not spare.”296
Seest thou who they are whom he
mourns, and whom he does not spare? Not those who have sinned, but
those who have not repented, and not simply those who have not
repented, but those who have been called once and again to this
work, and would not be persuaded. For the expression “I have said
beforehand and do now say beforehand, as if I were present the
second time, and being absent I write,” implies exactly that
which we are afraid may take place now in our case. For although
Paul is not present who then threatened the Corinthians, yet Christ
is present, who was then speaking through his mouth; and if we
continue obdurate, He will not spare us, but will smite us with a
mighty blow, both in this world and the next. “Let us then
anticipate His countenance by our confession,”297
let us pour out our hearts before
Him. For “thou hast sinned,” we read, “do not add thereto any
more, and pray on behalf of thy former deeds;”298
and again “a righteous man is his
own accuser in the first instance.”299
| 299 Prov.
xviii. 17; but a
different meaning is given to the passage in our English Version
[Revised]. | Let us not then tarry for the
accuser, but let us seize his place beforehand, and so let us make
our judge more merciful by means of our candour. Now I know indeed
that you confess your sins, and call yourself miserable above
measure; but this is not the only thing I wish, but I long for you
to be persuaded that it can justify you. For as long as you make
this confession unprofitable, even if you accuse yourself, you will
not be able to desist from the sins which follow it. For no one
will be able to do anything with zeal and the proper method, unless
he has first of all persuaded himself that he does it to advantage.
For even the sower, after he has scattered his seed, unless he
expects the harvest, will never reap. For who would choose to
fatigue himself in vain, if he was not to gain any good from his
labor? So then he
also who sows words, and tears, and confession, unless he does this
with a good hope, will not be able to desist from sinning, being
still held down by the evil of despair; but just as that husbandman
who despairs of any crop of fruit will not in future hinder any of
those things which damage the seeds, so also he who sows his
confession with tears, but does not expect any advantage for this,
will not be able to overthrow those things which spoil repentance.
And what does spoil repentance is being again entangled in the same
evils. “For there is one” we read, “who builds, and one who
pulls down, what have they gained more than toil? He who is dipped
in water because of contact with a dead body, and then touches it
again, what has he gained by his washing?”300
Even so if a man fasts because of
his sins, and goes his way again, and doeth the same things, who
will hearken to his prayer? And again we read “if a man goes back
from righteousness to sin the Lord will prepare him for the
sword,”301
and, “as a
dog when he has returned to his vomit, and become odious, so is a
fool who by his wickedness has returned to his sin.”302
19. Do not then merely set forth thy sins
being thy own accuser, but as one who ought to be justified by the
method of repentance; for thus thou wilt be able to put thy soul,
which makes its confession, to shame, so that it falls no more into
the same sins. For to accuse ourselves vehemently and call
ourselves sinners is common, so to say, to unbelievers also. Many
at least of those who belong to the stage, both men and women, who
habitually practise the greatest shamelessness, call themselves
miserable, but not with the proper aim. Wherefore I would not even
call this confession; for the publication of their sins is not
accompanied with compunction of soul, nor with bitter tears, nor
with conversion of life, but in fact some of them make it in quest
of a reputation for the hearers for candor of speech. For offences
do not seem so grievous when some other person announces them as
when the perpetrator himself reports them. And they who under the
influence of strong despair have lapsed into a state of
insensibility, and treat the opinion of their fellowmen with
contempt proclaim their own evil deeds with much effrontery, as if
they were the doings of others. But I do not wish thee to be any of
these, nor to be brought out of despair to confession, but with a
good expectation, after cutting away the whole root of despair, to
manifest zeal in the contrary direction. And what is the root and
mother of this despair? It is indolence; or rather one would not
call it the root only, but also the nurse and mother. For as in the
case of wool decay breeds moths, and is in turn increased by them;
so here also indolence breeds despair, and is itself nourished in
turn by despair; and thus supplying each other with this accursed
exchange, they acquire no small additional power. If any one then
cuts one of these off, and hews it in pieces, he will easily be
able to get the better of the remaining one. For on the one hand he
who is not indolent will never fall into despair, and on the other
he who is supported by good hopes, and does not despair of himself,
will not be able to fall into indolence. Pray then, wrench this
pair asunder, and break the yoke in pieces, by which I mean a
variable and yet depressing habit of thought; for that which holds
these two things together is not uniform, but manifold in shame and
character. And what is this? It happens that one who has repented
has done many great and good deeds, but meanwhile he has committed
some sin equivalent to those good deeds, and this especially is
sufficient to plunge him into despair, as if the buildings which
had been set up were all pulled down, and all the labor which he
had bestowed upon them had been vain and come to naught. But this
must be taken into account, and such reasoning must be repelled,
because, if we do not store up in good time a measure of good deeds
equivalent to the sins which are committed after them, nothing can
hinder us from sinking grievously and completely. But as it is,
(right action303
| 303 These words seem to be understood, although they
are not expressed in the original. | ) like some
stout breastplate does not suffer the sharp and bitter dart to
accomplish its work, but even if it is itself cut through, it
averts much danger from the body. For he who departs to the other
world with many deeds both good and bad, will have some alleviation
in respect of the punishment and the torment there; but if a man is
destitute of these good works, and takes only the evil with him, it
is impossible to say what great sufferings he will undergo, when he
is conducted to everlasting punishment. For a balance will be
struck there between the evil deeds and those which are not such;
and should the latter weigh down the scale they will to no small
extent have saved the doer of them, and the injury arising from the
doing of evil deeds is not so strong as to drag the man down from
the foremost place; but if the evil deeds exceed, they carry him
off into hell fire, because the number of his good actions is not
so great as to be able to make a stand against this violent
impulse. And these things are not merely suggested by our own reasoning,
but declared also by the divine oracles; for He Himself saith,
“He shall reward every man according to his works.”304
And not only
in hell, but also in the kingdom one will find many differences;
for He saith “in my Fathers house are many mansions;”305
and,
“there is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the
moon.”306
And what
wonder, if in dealing with such great matters he has spoken with
such precision, seeing that He declares there is a difference in
that world even between one star and another? Knowing then all
these things let us never desist from doing good deeds, nor grow
weary, nor, if we should be unable to reach the rank of the sun or
of the moon, let us despise that of the stars. For if only we
display thus much virtue at least, we shall be able to have a place
in Heaven. And though we may not have become gold, or precious
stone, yet if we only occupy the rank of silver we shall abide in
the foundation; only let us not fall back again into that material
which the fire readily devours, nor, when we are unable to
accomplish great things, desist also from small ones, for this is
the part of extreme folly, which I trust we may not experience. For
just as material wealth increases if the lovers of it do not
despise even the smallest gains, so is it also with the spiritual.
For it is a strange thing that the judge should not overlook the
reward of even a cup of cold water, but that we, if our
achievements are not altogether great, should neglect the
performance of little things. For he who does not despise the
lesser things, will exercise much zeal concerning the greatest; but
he who overlooks the former will also abstain from the latter; and
to prevent this taking place Christ has defined great rewards even
for these small things. For what is easier than to visit the sick?
Yet even this He requites with a great recompense. Lay hold then on
eternal life, delight in the Lord, and supplicate Him; take up
again the easy yoke, bow thyself beneath the light burden, put a
finish to thy life worthy of the beginning; do not suffer so great
a stream of wealth to slip past thee. For if thou shouldst continue
provoking God by thy deeds, thou wilt destroy thyself; but if
before much damage has been done, and all thy husbandry has been
overwhelmed with a flood, thou wilt dam up the channels of
wickedness, thou wilt be able to recover again what has been
spoiled and to add to it not a little further produce. Having
considered all these things, shake off the dust, get up from the
ground, and thou wilt be formidable to the adversary; for he
himself indeed has overthrown thee, as if thou wouldst never rise
again; but if he sees thee again lifting up thy hands against him,
he will receive such an unexpected blow that he will be less
forward in trying to upset thee again, and thou thyself wilt be
more secure against receiving any wound of that kind in future. For
if the calamities of others are sufficient to instruct us, much
more those which we have ourselves undergone. And this is what I
expect speedily to see in the case of thy own dear self, and that
by the grace of God thou art again become more radiant than before,
and displaying such great virtue, as even to be a protector of
others in the world above. Only do not despair, do not fall back;
for I will not cease repeating this in every form of speech, and
wherever I see you, as well as by the lips of others; and if you
listen to this you will no longer need other remedies.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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