De diabolo tentatore

To those who say that demons administer human affairs, and who are vexed at God's punishments, and who are scandalized at the prosperity of the wicked and the adversity of the righteous. 49.241242 Homily 1. 1. I for my part expected that by the continuity of my discourse you would take a surfeit of our words; but I see the opposite coming to pass—not a surfeit arising in you from the continuity, but rather a desire increasing, not satiety, but pleasure accruing; and the same thing happening as befalls lovers of wine at banquets abroad. For those men, the more unmixed wine they pour in, the more they kindle their thirst; and for you, the more we sound forth the teaching, the more we kindle your desire, the more we increase your appetite, the more vehement your love. For this reason, although I am conscious of the most extreme poverty in myself, I do not cease imitating the ambitious hosts, and setting before you a continuous table and setting up a full mixing-bowl of teaching. For I see that after drinking it all down, you depart thirsty again. And this became clear both from all past time, and especially from the past Lord's Day. For that you partake insatiably of the divine oracles, that day especially showed, on which I was discoursing about the need not to speak evil of one another, when I also provided you with the safest basis for accusation, exhorting you to speak evil of your own sins, but not to busy yourselves with those of others; when I brought forward the saints accusing themselves but sparing others;

Paul saying, "I am the foremost of sinners," and that God had mercy on him though he was a blasphemer and a persecutor and an insolent man, and calling himself one untimely born, and thinking himself not even worthy of the name of apostle; Peter saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man"; Matthew calling himself a tax collector even at the time of his apostleship; David crying out and saying, "My transgressions have risen above my head; like a heavy burden they have weighed me down"; and Isaiah lamenting and wailing, "I am unclean, and I have unclean lips"; the three youths in the furnace of fire confessing and saying, "We have sinned and acted lawlessly and have not kept the commandments of God"; Daniel again lamenting this very same thing. When, after this list of the saints, I called the accusers flies, and brought forward the just reason for the example, saying that just as those flies settle upon others' wounds, so too accusers bite at others' sins, collecting disease from there for those who associate with them; and I called those who do the opposite bees, which do not gather diseases but congeal honeycombs of the greatest piety, and thus fly over the meadow of the virtue of the saints—then, then you showed your insatiable love. For since our discourse had been stretched out to a great length, and a length without limit, and such as never before, many expected that your eagerness would be quenched by the multitude of what was said, but the opposite happened; for your heart was the more warmed, your longing the more kindled.

And how is this clear? At any rate, the applause that came at the end was greater, and the shouts more brilliant; and the same thing happened as, for instance, with furnaces. For just as there the light of the fire is not very bright at the beginning, but when the flame has seized upon all the wood laid upon it, it is raised to a great height; so indeed also on that day this happened. At the beginning this assembly of mine was not very much stirred; but when the discourse was stretched out to length and had laid hold of all the subjects set before it, and more teaching had been poured out, then, then the desire for the hearing was kindled in you, and the applause burst forth more vehemently. For this reason, although I had prepared to say less than what was said, I then exceeded the measure; or rather, I never exceeded the measure—for I am by nature disposed to measure the quantity of teaching not by the multitude of the things said, but by the disposition of the hearers. For the one who takes hearers who are seasick, even if he contracts his teaching, seems to be troublesome; but the one who takes hearers who are fervent and aroused and sober, even if he stretches it out to great length, not even so does he fill their desire. But since it happens that there are also some weak persons in so great a congregation, who are unable to follow the length of the discourse, I wish to exhort them to this: having heard as much as they are able to receive, and having taken what is sufficient, let them withdraw; no one is hindering or compelling them to remain beyond their own capacity. However, let them not force the discourse to be contracted before the proper time and their own hour. For you have been filled, but your brother is still hungry.

And you are drunk with the abundance of what has been said, but your brother is still thirsty. Let not that man crush your weakness by forcing you to receive more than your own capacity, nor let yourself press upon his desire by preventing him from taking all that he is able to receive. 2. This also happens at tables outside the church: some are filled sooner, others later, and neither do these accuse those, nor do those condemn these; but there, to depart sooner is a commendation, whereas here to depart sooner is not a commendation, but worthy of pardon; there, to cease later is an accusation and blame, whereas here, to depart later is praise and the greatest acclaim. Why ever so? Because there slowness comes from gluttony, but here the staying and endurance is constituted by spiritual desire and divine longing. But enough of preambles; for the rest, let us proceed to that debt which was left to us from that day. What then was it that was said at that time? That there was one voice for all men, just as also one nature, and no one was of a different voice or a different tongue. From where, then, comes such great discord? From the negligence of those who received the gift; both of which we said then, both showing the Master's love for mankind through the sameness of voice, and the ingratitude of the servants through the discord. For he, even foreknowing that we would lose the gift, nevertheless gave it; but they, having been entrusted with it, proved wicked concerning the deposit. This, then, is one manner of defense: that God did not cast us out from the gift, but we destroyed what was given.

And second after that, because we later received greater things than those that were lost: instead of temporary labors he honored us with eternal life; instead of thorns and thistles he prepared the fruit of the Spirit to sprout in our souls. Nothing was more worthless than man, and nothing has become more precious than man. He was the last part of the rational creation; but the feet became the head, and through the firstfruits they were raised to the royal throne. For just as some ambitious and generous man, seeing someone who has escaped from a shipwreck and been able to save only his naked body from the waves, receives him with open hands, clothes him in a splendid robe, and leads him to the highest honor, so too God did with our nature. Man cast off everything he had—his boldness of speech, his converse with God, his life in paradise, his life free from toil—and like one from a shipwreck he came out from there naked; but God received him and immediately clothed him, and leading him by the hand little by little brought him up to heaven—although the shipwreck was not worthy of forgiveness. For it was not because of the violence of the winds, but because of the negligence of the one sailing that all this tossing of the sea came about. But God did not look to this, but pitied the greatness of the calamity, and the one who suffered shipwreck in the harbor, as though he had endured it in the middle of the open sea, he received so kindly; for to fall in paradise is to endure shipwreck in the harbor. Why ever so?

For not yet had grief, not yet care, nor labors, nor toils, nor the countless waves of desire surging upon our nature, tripped it up and brought it down. And just as pirates sailing the sea, having often pierced the ship with a little iron, let in all the sea from below into the ship, so too then the devil, seeing the ship of Adam—that is, the soul laden with many good things—approached with a mere word as with some little iron, and having pierced it, emptied out all that man's wealth and sank the vessel itself. But God made the trade greater than the loss, and raised our nature up to the royal throne. Therefore Paul also cries out, saying: He raised us up together and seated us at his right hand in the heavenly places, that he might show in the ages to come the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us. What are you saying? The matter has already happened and has its end, and you say: That he might show in the ages to come? Did he not show it? He showed it already, but not to all men, but to me the faithful one; but the unbeliever has not yet seen the wonder. But then, on that day, the whole nature of men, coming into the midst, will marvel at what has been done, especially since it will then be clearer to us. For we believe even now, but hearing and sight do not present the wonder in the same way.

But just as when we hear of kings—the purple robe, the diadem, the golden garments, and the royal throne—we marvel, yet we are affected more greatly when, the curtains being drawn back, we see him seated in state upon the lofty tribunal; so too with the Only-begotten: when we see the curtains of the heavens drawn back, and the King of the angels descending from there, escorted by the heavenly hosts, then we receive a greater wonder from the sight. For consider with me what it is to see our own nature borne upon the Cherubim, and the whole angelic power poured around it. 3. Observe also Paul's wisdom—how many names he seeks out in order to set forth God's love for humanity. For he did not simply say "the grace," nor simply "the wealth," but what? "The surpassing wealth of his grace in his kindness." Yet even so he grew weary. And just as slippery bodies, though held by countless hands, escape our grasp and easily slip away, so too God's love for humanity—by however many names we may try to grasp it, not even so are we able to encompass it; rather its greatness defeats the weakness of our words, for all their abundance. This is precisely what Paul also experienced, and seeing the power of his words defeated by its greatness, he spoke one word and stopped. And what is this? "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift." For neither speech nor any mind will be able to set forth God's providential care.

For this reason he says here that it is indescribable, and elsewhere that it surpasses our mind, speaking thus: The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts. But, as I was saying, two ways of defense have so far been found: one, that it was not God who cast us out, but we who destroyed ourselves; the second, that the good things given to us are more numerous and greater than those lost. But I wish to state a third as well. What then is the third? That even if he had not given us things greater than those lost after these events, but had only taken away what had been given to us—since we ourselves provided the cause; for let this be added—even this by itself is sufficient to show his care for us. For not only to give, but also to take away what was given, is a matter of the greatest love for humanity; and, if you wish, let us exercise the argument on Paradise. He gave Paradise: this is of his care. We appeared unworthy of the gift: this is of our ingratitude. He took away the gift when we became unworthy: this has come about through his goodness. And what goodness, he says, is it to take away the gift? Wait, and you will certainly hear. For consider what Cain would have been, dwelling in Paradise after the murder.

For if, even after falling from that way of life, condemned to toil and hardship, and seeing the threat of death hanging over him, seeing his father's misfortune before his eyes and still holding in his hands the traces of God's wrath, and surrounded by so many terrors—if, I say, he kicked out into such great wickedness as to forget nature, to disregard the fellowship of birth-pangs, to slay one who had done no wrong, to touch a brother's body and stain his right hand with blood, and, when God was advising him to be at peace, not to endure it but to insult his Maker and dishonor those who had begotten him—if this man had been living in paradise, consider to what depth of evil he would have rushed. For if, with so many reins upon him, he leaped with death-dealing leaps, had these walls also been removed, where would he not have hurled himself down? Do you wish to learn also from this man's mother how great a good it was to fall from the way of life of paradise? Consider who Eve was before this, and who she became afterward. Before this, she considered the deceiver the devil, that wicked demon, more trustworthy than God's commandments, and from the mere sight of the tree she trampled underfoot the law laid down by him; but after she fell from paradise, consider how she became better and more prudent. For when she bore a son, she said: I have acquired a man through God. She who had previously despised the Master fled at once to the Master, and she does not reckon the matter to nature, nor does she attribute the birth to the law of marriage; but she knows the Master of nature, and to him she gives thanks for the birth of the child.

And she who had deceived the man before this later instructed the little child as well, and gives him a name able to lead him to the remembrance of God's gift; and again, having borne another, she says: God has raised up for me seed in place of Abel, whom Cain killed. She remembers the calamity, and the woman does not despair, but gives thanks to God again, and calls the child from the gift, providing for him a continual basis of instruction. Thus even in the very act of taking away, God granted greater goods: the woman fell from paradise, but through the expulsion she was led by the hand to the knowledge of God, so that she found greater things than she lost. And if, he says, it was useful to fall from paradise, for what reason did God give paradise in the beginning? Usefully, O man, this happened because of our slothfulness; for if they had attended to themselves there and recognized the Master, and knew how to be temperate and moderate, they would have remained in honor; but since they grew insolent against the gift given, then it became useful to be cast out. For what reason, then, did God give it in the beginning? In order to display his own love for mankind, and that he himself was prepared to lead them to greater honor

always, but we are responsible everywhere for the punishments and the penalties, having cast ourselves out through laziness from the good things given to us. Just as, therefore, a loving father at first allows his own child to spend his time in the house and to enjoy all his paternal possessions; but when he sees that he has become worthless in his honor, he removes him from his table and places him far from his own sight, and often even casts him out of his paternal house itself, so that he, having fallen and become better through these insults and dishonors, may make himself worthy of return again and inherit the paternal inheritance—so also God did. He gave man paradise; when he appeared unworthy, He cast him out, so that through dwelling outside and through dishonor he might become better and more self-controlled, and appear worthy of return again. Since, therefore, after these things he became better, He brings him back again and says: Today you will be with me in paradise. Do you see that not only the giving of paradise but also the casting out of paradise was a matter of the greatest care? For if he had not fallen out of paradise, he would not have appeared worthy of paradise again. 4. Let us therefore always keep this word, and let us exercise it also in the present matter, if you wish. He gave a common voice to all; this is of His love for mankind. Those men did not use the gift as they ought, but turned aside to the utmost folly; He took away again what had been given.

For if, because they had one language, they fell into such great folly as to wish to build a tower up to heaven, had they not been punished immediately, would they not have desired to lay hold even of the very summit of heaven? For what then? Even if it was impossible for them, nevertheless from their intention the things of their impiety were being accomplished for them. All these things God foreseeing, since they did not use their unity of speech as they ought, he divides them for their good by their disagreement. And observe for me his love for humanity. Behold, he says, there is one voice for all, and this they began to do. For what reason did he not come immediately to cut apart their tongue, but first makes a defense, as though about to be judged in a court? And yet no one will say to him, What have you done? But he is lord to do all things whatsoever he wills. Nevertheless, just as one about to submit to an accounting, so he sets forth defenses, teaching us to be gentle and loving toward humanity. For if the Master makes a defense to slaves, and those who have done wrong, much more ought we to make defense to one another, even if we have been wronged in the greatest matters. Observe, then, how he makes his defense: Behold, one lip and one voice for all, he says, and this they began to do. It is as if he were saying: Let no one reproach me, seeing the tongue cut apart; let no one think from the beginning that this disagreement was brought down together with human beings. Behold, one lip and one voice for all; but they did not use the gift as they ought. And so that you may learn that what is happening does not so much punish as it corrects beforehand what is to come, hear the consequence: And now nothing shall fail from them of all things whatsoever they set themselves to do. What he means is this:

If they do not pay the penalty now and are not checked back from the very root of their sins, they will not stop their wickedness anywhere. For this is the meaning of "All things whatsoever they set their hand to do shall not fail from them"—as if he were saying, "And they will add other, greater enormities." For such is wickedness: when it has taken a beginning and is not hindered, like fire seizing on kindling, it rises to an unspeakable height. Do you see that even the taking away of their common language was an act of great loving-kindness? For he cast them into discord so that they might not fall into greater wickedness. Keep this teaching for me, then, and let it be fixed always among you and immovable: that God is good and loving toward mankind not only when he benefits but also when he punishes. For his chastisements and his punishments are a very great part of his beneficence, a very great form of his providence. When, therefore, you see famines occurring, and plagues, and droughts, and excessive rains, and disturbances of the air, or any other such thing that chastises human nature, do not be vexed nor give way to despair, but worship the one who does it, marvel at his care. For it is he who does these things, chastising the body in order to discipline the soul. And does God do these things? he says. God does these things—even if the whole city is present, even if the whole inhabited world is present, I will not hesitate to say it. Would that I had the voice of a trumpet, clearer, and that it were possible to stand in a high place and cry out to all and testify solemnly that God does these things. I do not say these things out of recklessness, but I have the prophet standing by me, crying out and saying, "There is no evil in a city which the Lord has not done.

Wickedness" is a name with two meanings; and I want you to learn the precise signification of each designation, so that you may not, through the ambiguity of terms, confuse their natures and fall into blasphemy. 5. There is, then, wickedness—the wickedness that truly is wickedness: fornication, adultery, covetousness, and the countless dreadful things that belong to the category of the last offenses and are worthy of punishments. Again there is "wickedness"—or rather it is not, but is only called so: famine, pestilence, death, disease, and all such things. For these would not be evils; this is why I said only "is called." Why ever so? Because if they were evils, they would not have become the causes of good things for us—disciplining our recklessness, checking our negligence, leading us back to earnestness, making us more attentive. For, he says, when he killed them, then they sought him, and they turned back, and they rose early to God. So he calls "wickedness" this thing that disciplines, that makes people illustrious, that renders them more earnest, that leads them back to philosophy—not that discredited wickedness worthy of condemnation; for that is not the work of God, but an invention of our own free choice, whereas this comes about for the destruction of that. So he calls "wickedness" this affliction that comes to us from punishments—not according to its own nature, but according to the supposition of men, naming it so. For since we are accustomed to call "wickedness" not only thefts and adulteries but also calamities, he called the thing thus from the verdict of men. This, then, is what the prophet says: that there is no wickedness in a city which the Lord has not made. This God also hinted at through Isaiah, saying:

I am God, who makes peace and creates evils," again calling calamities "evils." Christ too hints at this "evil" in the Gospels, speaking thus to his disciples: "Sufficient for the day is its own evil"—that is, its affliction, its misery. From every angle, then, it is clear that here he calls punishments "evil," and these he himself brings upon us, providing the greatest form of providence. For the physician is not admirable only when he leads the sick man out into parks and meadows, nor only when he brings him to baths and pools of water, nor only when he sets a rich table before him, but also when he orders him to remain without food, and when he presses and stretches him with hunger and thirst, nailing him to the bed and making his house a prison, and depriving him of the very light and shadowing the room on every side with curtains, and when he cuts, and when he cauterizes, and when he administers bitter medicines—he is a physician just the same. How then is it not absurd to call that man a physician who does so many "evils," but to blaspheme God and cast him out from the providence of the universe if he should ever do one of these things—for instance, bring on famine or death? And yet this one alone is the true physician of both souls and bodies. For this reason he often takes our nature when it is leaping up from prosperity and in labor with the fever of sins, and by want and famine and death and other calamities, and by the other medicines that he himself knows, he rids it of its diseases. But the poor alone perceive famine,

he says. But he does not punish by famine alone, but also by countless other means: the one in poverty he has often disciplined by famine, and the one who is rich and enjoys abundance, by dangers, diseases, and untimely deaths; for he is resourceful, and has varied remedies for our salvation. So too do judges act: they do not only honor and crown those who inhabit the cities, nor do they only give gifts, but they also often punish. For this reason the sword is sharpened for them, and pits have been prepared, and the wheel, and stakes, and executioners, and countless other forms of punishment. What the executioner is in the case of judges, that famine is in the case of God—like an executioner, disciplining us and leading us away from wickedness. So too one may see it in the case of farmers. For they do not only tend the root of the vine and fence it about, but they also prune it and cut off many of the branches; for this reason they have not only a hoe but also sickles suitable for cutting. But nevertheless we do not blame them either; rather, we especially admire them then, when we see them cutting away many of the useless parts, so that by the removal of the superfluous they may provide great safety for what remains. How, then, is it not absurd, when it comes to a father, a physician, a judge, and a farmer, to judge in this way, and to find fault with and accuse neither that father for casting his son out of the house, nor the physician for cutting into the sick man, nor the judge for punishing, nor the farmer for cutting?

But God, if ever he wished to rouse us up like people heavy-headed from the great drunkenness of wickedness, to find fault and to assail with countless accusations? Do you think this is not of how great a madness, not even to grant the same defense to the Master that we grant to our fellow slaves? I say these things now out of fear for the accusers themselves, so that they may not kick against the goads and bloody their feet, so that they may not throw stones at heaven and receive the wounds on their head. But I have yet another excess greater than this to mention. For having set aside the question—I speak by way of concession—whether God usefully received from us, I say only this: that even if he took what was given, not even so could anyone have accused him; for he was lord of his own things. Among humans, when people entrust money to us and lend silver, we acknowledge gratitude for the time during which they lent, and we are not indignant about the time during which they take back their own property; but shall we accuse God, tell me, when he wishes to take his own? And how is this not the utmost folly? But the great and noble Job did not do so; not only when he was receiving, but also when it was being taken away, he acknowledged the greatest gratitude, saying thus: The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be blessed forever.

But if we ought to give thanks for both of these things, both in themselves, and the removal of a gift is no less useful than its giving, what excuse would we have, tell me, if we repay with the opposite the one so gentle and philanthropic and caring, wiser than every physician, more affectionate than every father, more just than every judge, more diligent than every farmer, who heals our souls—and when we ought to worship him, we are vexed at him? Could anything be more mad and more senseless than those who, amid such great order, say that we are deprived of God's providence? For just as if someone were to contend that the sun is dark and cold, he exhibits a proof of the utmost insanity by his vote, so if someone were to doubt concerning God's providence, he is liable to charges of far greater madness. The sun is not so bright as God's providence is clear; yet some dare to say that demons administer our affairs. What should I suffer? You have a philanthropic Master; he chooses rather to be blasphemed by you through

of these words, or having entrusted your affairs to the demons, [to show] how demons govern through actual events. For then you would have learned well the wickedness of those beings through experience itself; but rather even now it is possible to demonstrate it to you, as in a small example: Some demon-possessed men came out of the tombs to meet Christ, and the demons begged him to permit them to enter the herd of swine; and he permitted it, and they went and immediately cast them all down the cliff; thus do demons govern. And yet they had no quarrel with the swine, but against you there is always an implacable war and a battle without truce, and an immortal enmity. But if, in the case of those with whom they had nothing in common, they did not endure even a small moment of delay; if they had gotten us, their enemies who continually bite them, under their power, what would they not have done? What of the incurable things would they not have inflicted? For this reason also God allowed them to fall upon the herd of swine, so that in the bodies of irrational animals you might learn their wickedness. And that they would have done to those demon-possessed men the same things as they did to the swine, if even in that very madness the demoniacs had not enjoyed great providence from God, is clear to all. And now, therefore, whenever you see a man moved by a demon, worship the Master, learn the wickedness of the demons; for both things can be seen in these demoniacs, both the philanthropy of God and the evil of the demons—the evil of the demons, when they disturb and throw into confusion the soul of the one who is deranged;

But [consider] the philanthropy of God, when He restrains and hinders so savage a demon, who dwells within and desires to hurl man down headlong, not permitting him to use his own power to the full, but allowing him to display his strength only as much as would both discipline man and make his own wickedness manifest. Do you wish to see again, by another example, how a demon governs when God permits him to use his own power? Consider the herds and flocks of Job, how in a single moment of time he consumed them all, the pitiable death of his children, the blow brought upon his body; and you will see the cruelty and inhumanity and ruthlessness of the demons' wickedness, and from these things you will know clearly that if God had entrusted this whole universe to their authority, they would have confounded and thrown everything into confusion, and would have treated us as they did those swine and those herds, so that they would not have endured to spare our salvation even for a brief moment of time. If demons were governing, we would be in no better state than demon-possessed men, but rather we would be worse than they. For God did not wholly deliver even those men to the tyranny of the demons, since they would have suffered things far more grievous than what they now suffer. And I would also have asked this of those who say these things: what disorder, then, do they see in present circumstances, that they ascribe all our affairs to the governance of demons?

And yet we see the sun over so many years advancing in good order each day, the varied chorus of the stars keeping its own order, the courses of the moon unimpeded, the succession of night and day exact, all things both above and below, as it were in a harmonious dance—or rather far more and more exactly—each keeping its own place, and not departing from the order which God appointed for them when He made them at the beginning. 7. And what is the use of these things, he says, when heaven and sun and moon and the chorus of the stars and all the rest have great good order, but our own affairs are filled with confusion and disorder? Of what confusion, O man, and disorder? Such a one, he says, is rich and does violence, seizes and takes advantage, swallows up the substance of the poor every day, and suffers nothing terrible; another lives in gentleness, adorned with temperance and justice and all the other goods, and is punished with poverty and diseases and the most extreme hardships. Is this then what scandalizes you? This, he says. If then you see many of the rapacious being punished, and some of those living in virtue—or even countless of them—enjoying good things, why do you not dissolve this verdict, nor accept the Master? Because this very thing is what scandalizes me more. For why, when there are two wicked men, is the one punished and the other escapes and goes away, and when there are two good men, is the one honored and the other continues being punished? And this very thing is the greatest work of God's providence.

For if he punished all the wicked here, and honored all the good here, the day of judgment would be superfluous. Again, if he punished no wicked person, nor honored any of the good, both the base would have become baser and worse, as being far more slack than the virtuous; and those who wished to blaspheme would have accused God more greatly, and would have said outright that our affairs are deprived of providence. For if even now, when some wicked are punished and good are honored, they likewise say that human affairs are without providence, if this were not happening either, what would they not say? What words would they not utter? Therefore he punishes some of the wicked and does not punish others, and honors some of the good and does not honor others. He does not punish all, in order to persuade you that there is a resurrection; but he punishes some, in order that by fear, through the punishment of others, he may make the more slack more earnest. Again, he honors some of the good, in order to draw others by these honors to zeal for virtue; but he does not honor all, in order that you may learn that there is another time rendering to all their recompense. For if all were receiving here according to their desert, they would have disbelieved the account of the resurrection; but if no one were receiving according to his desert, the majority would have become more slack. Therefore he punishes some and does not punish others, benefiting both those punished and those not punished; for in the former he cuts off wickedness, and he makes the others more temperate by the punishment of these. And this is clear from what Christ himself said.

For when they reported to him that a tower had fallen and crushed certain men, he says to them: Do you think that those men alone were sinners? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will suffer the same things. Do you see how those men perished because of sin, and the rest did not escape because of righteousness, but so that they might become better through those men's punishments? Therefore, he says, those who are punished have been wronged; for they could have become better themselves through others' punishments without being punished. But if God knew they would become better through repentance, he would not have punished them. For if, foreseeing many who would gain nothing from his longsuffering, he nevertheless bears with them with great forbearance, fulfilling his own purpose and granting them to recover at some point from their own folly, how would he have deprived those who were going to become better through others' punishment of the profit of repentance? So these have not been wronged at all, since their wickedness is cut off by the punishment, and the punishment there will be lighter because they suffered badly beforehand here. Again, those who were not punished have not been wronged at all. For it was possible for them, if they wished, to use God's longsuffering for the best change, and, marveling at his forbearance, to revere the excess of his tolerance, and at some point to turn to virtue, and to gain their own salvation through others' punishments. But if they persist in wickedness, God is not the cause—he who is longsuffering for this reason, that he might restore them—but those who are unworthy of forgiveness are, who did not use God's longsuffering as they ought.

But it is not only this reason that one can state, on account of which all the wicked are not punished here, but also another not less than this. What is this? That if God had brought punishments upon all at the very moment of their sins, our race would have been snatched away beforehand, and would not have reached succession. And so that you may learn that this is true, hear the prophet saying: If you should observe iniquities, O Lord, who will stand? But if it seems good also to examine the statement, leaving aside the life of each one to scrutinize with precision—for it is not possible for us to know what has been lived by each one—let us bring into the middle those things which we all without contradiction sin, and from this it will be clear and manifest to us that if we were punished for each one of our sins, we would long ago have perished. He who calls his brother a fool, it says, is liable to the Gehenna of fire. Is there then any one of us who has not sinned this sin? What then, ought he to have been snatched away immediately? Therefore we all would have been snatched away and made to disappear long ago and very long ago. Again, it says, he who swears, even if he swears truly, does the works of the Evil One. Who then is it who has not sworn? Or rather, who is it who has never sworn falsely? He who looks at a woman, it says, with licentious eyes, is a complete adulterer. And of this sin too one might find many liable. When, then, the acknowledged sins are such, so unbearable, and each of them by itself brings upon us an inexorable punishment, if we also reckon up the sins committed by us in secret, then we shall see most clearly the providence of God not bringing punishment upon us for each sin.

So when you see someone plundering, taking advantage, and not being punished, unfold your own conscience as well, reckon up your own life, go over your sins, and you will learn well that it is not to your advantage to be punished for each one of your sins first. For it is for this reason that many speak without restraint, because they do not look at their own faults before those of others, but we all dismiss our own and examine those of others. But let us no longer do this, but the opposite; and if you see a righteous man being punished, remember Job; for if anyone is righteous, he will be neither more righteous than that man, nor even a little close to him; and if he suffers countless evils, he has not yet suffered anything as great as that man did. 9. Having therefore taken this to heart, stop accusing the Master, having learned that God does not abandon such a man and let him suffer badly, but wishes to crown him and make him more illustrious. And if you see a sinner being punished, remember the paralytic who had been on his bed for thirty-eight years. For that he too was handed over to that illness at that time because of sin, hear Christ saying: Behold, you have become well; sin no more, lest something worse happen to you. For either we pay the penalty for sins when we are punished, or we receive an occasion for crowns, if while living in right conduct we suffer badly. So whether we live in righteousness or in sins, punishment is useful to us, sometimes making us more illustrious, sometimes rendering us more prudent, and lightening for us the punishment to come.

For that it is possible here to be punished and to bear it thankfully, and there to enjoy a milder penalty, hear Paul saying: For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Knowing all these things, then, let us philosophize about the providence of God in such matters as these, and let us stop the mouths of those who contradict. And even if some of the things that happen surpass our understanding, let us not on this account think that our affairs are without providence, but having grasped his providence in part, let us yield to him in things incomprehensible, to the unsearchable depth of his wisdom. For if a private person cannot grasp a man's craft, much more is it impossible for the human mind to comprehend the boundless extent of God's providence; for his judgments are unsearchable, and his ways past finding out. Nevertheless, having received clear and evident faith concerning the whole from the few, let us give thanks to him for all that happens. For there is also another argument, irrefutable for those who wish to philosophize about the providence of God. For let us ask those who contradict: Is there a God? And if they say that there is not, let us not even answer them.

For just as it is not right to answer madmen, so neither is it right to answer those who say there is no God. For if a ship having few sailors and passengers could not survive even a single stadium without the hand that steers it, how much more could this world, so great, having so many bodies within itself composed of different elements, not have endured for so long a time, unless there were some providence standing over it, holding this whole together and sustaining it continually. But if, ashamed before the common verdict of all and the experience derived from things, they confess that there is a God, let us say this to them: that if God exists, as indeed he does, it follows that he is also just; for if he is not just, he is not God; and if he is just, he renders to each according to worth. But we see that not all here receive according to worth; therefore it is necessary to hope for some other recompense laid up, so that when each has received according to worth, the justice of God may appear. For this argument introduces to us the philosophy not only concerning providence but also concerning the resurrection. Knowing these things, then, let us ourselves also practice the things concerning providence and resurrection, and teach others, and make every effort to stop the mouths of those who rage against the Master, and let us ourselves glorify him in all things.

For in this way we shall draw down his greater care, and enjoy abundant assistance, and thus we shall be able to be delivered from the vice that truly is, and to attain the good things to come, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Against those who bring the charge, for what reason the devil has not been removed from the midst; and that his wickedness harms us in nothing if we give heed; and concerning repentance. Homily 2. 1. Isaac once, desiring to eat a meal from the hands of his son, sent his son out of the house to the hunt; but this Isaac, desiring to receive a meal from our hands, did not send us out of the house, but himself ran to our table. What could be more affectionate than this? What more humble? He who deigned to display his love so warmly, and endured to descend so far. For this very reason we too, having let down both the pitch of our voice and the strength of our feet from the morning discourse, when we saw the fatherly face, immediately forgot our weakness, laid aside our hesitation, were given wings by the pleasure, saw the bright hoary head, and our soul was filled with light. For this reason we also set the table before him with eagerness, so that having eaten he may bless us. There is no theft and deceit here, as there was there then—one was commanded to bring in, and another brought in—but I both was commanded to bring in and brought in.

Bless us then, O father, with a spiritual blessing, even the one that we all always pray to receive, and which is useful not to you alone but also to me and to all these. Entreat our common Master of us all, that he may bring your life to the ripe old age of Isaac. For this is more precious and more necessary to me and to these than the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth. But indeed it is time now to set the table. What then is this table? The remnants of what was said earlier to your love; for still, still we stir up the discourse concerning the devil, which we set in motion two days before these; which we also spoke in the morning to those being initiated, when we were discoursing to them about renunciation and enrollment. And we do this not because the discourse about the devil is pleasant to us, but because the teaching about him is safe for you; for he is an enemy and an adversary, and it is great safety to know clearly the things of enemies. We said recently that he does not prevail by force, nor by tyranny, nor by compelling, nor by constraining; since if this were so, he would have destroyed all. And as proof of this we brought forward the swine, which the demons were not able to dare before the Master's permission; the herds of Job and the flocks; for the devil did not dare to destroy these either, until he received authority from above. This, then, is the first thing we learned, that he does not prevail over us by force, nor by necessity; secondly, after that we added, that even prevailing by deceit, not even so does he get the better of all.

And again we brought that athlete Job into the middle, against whom he stirred up countless devices, yet not even so did he prevail, but was defeated and withdrew. One question remains. What is this? That even if, he says, he does not conquer by force, yet by deceit; and for this reason it would have been better for him to have been destroyed. For even if Job prevailed, yet Adam was deceived and tripped up; but if he had been removed from the middle once for all, Adam would never have been tripped up; but now, remaining, he is defeated by one, yet prevails over many; ten master him, but he masters and subdues ten thousand; but if he had destroyed him from the middle, not even the ten thousand would have perished. What then shall we say to this? That most of all those who conquer are far more honorable than those who are defeated, even if the one are more and the other fewer. For better is one, he says, doing the will of God, than ten thousand transgressors. And second, that when the adversary is destroyed, the conqueror himself is harmed on his account. For if you allow the opponent to remain, the more slothful are harmed not because of the more zealous, but because of their own sloth; but if you destroy the opponent, the more zealous were plotted against because of the slothful, and did not display their own power, nor attain the crowns.

2. Perhaps you have not yet understood what was said; so it is necessary to say it again more clearly. Let there be one adversary; and let there be also two athletes about to wrestle against him, and of these two athletes let the one be corrupted by gluttony, neglected, enfeebled, enervated, while the other is earnest, in good condition, spending his time in the wrestling school, in many gymnasia, displaying all the training that pertains to athletic contest. If, then, you remove the adversary, which of these have you harmed? Is it the lazy and negligent one, or the earnest one who has toiled so much? It is evident that it is the earnest one; for he has been wronged on account of the lazy one, since the adversary has been removed; but the lazy one, while this one remains, is no longer wronged on account of the earnest one; for he has fallen from his own laziness. Let me state also another solution to this question, so that you may learn that it is not the devil who harms, but one's own laziness everywhere trips up those who do not pay attention. Let the devil be set aside, who is exceedingly wicked not by nature but by choice and disposition; for that the devil is not wicked by nature, learn from the very names. For "devil" is so called from "slandering"; for he slandered man to God: "Does Job fear you for nothing?

Job, saying: But stretch out your hand, and touch what he has; if he will not blaspheme you to your face. He slandered God again to man: Fire fell from heaven, he said, and burned up the sheep; for he was eager to persuade him that this war was stirred up from above, from the heavens, and that he set the servant against the master, and the master against the servant—or rather, he did not set them against each other, but he attempted it and did not prevail, so that when you see another servant set against his master, Adam against God, and believing his slander, you may learn that he received his strength not from his own power but from that man's slackness and negligence. Therefore he is called Devil; but to slander and not to slander is not a nature, but a thing that comes to be and passes away, that happens and ceases to happen; and such things do not hold the rank of nature or of substance. I know that this account concerning substance and accidents is hard for many to grasp; but there are those who are able to hear more subtly; therefore we too have said these things. Do you wish that I come also to another name? And you will see that that too is not a name of substance or of nature. He is called Evil; but evil is not of nature but of choice; for this too at one time arises in someone and at another passes away. For do not tell me this, that in his case it remains continually; for in his case too it was not from the beginning, but came upon him afterward, which is why he is called apostate; and although many men are evil, he alone is called evil by way of eminence. Why then is he called so?

Since he had been wronged in nothing by us, having no charge to bring, neither small nor great, when he saw man honored, he immediately envied his good things. What then could be worse than this wickedness, than when enmity and war exist with no reasonable cause? Let the devil therefore be set aside, and let us bring creation into the midst, so that you may learn that the devil is not the cause of our evils, if we are willing to pay attention; so that you may learn that the man who is weak in purpose, neglected and slothful, even when the devil is not present, falls down and casts himself into many pits of wickedness. The devil is wicked; I know this too, and it is acknowledged by all, but pay close attention to what is about to be said now. For these are not chance matters, but matters about which many words are often spoken in many places by many, matters over which there is great battle and war, not only of the faithful against the unfaithful, but also of the faithful against the faithful; for this is the thing full of pain. 3. The devil, then, is acknowledged, as I said, to be wicked by all; what shall we say about this creation, beautiful and wonderful as it is? Or is creation also wicked? And who is so polluted, who so senseless and deranged as to accuse creation? What then shall we say about it? For it is not wicked, but is both beautiful and a proof of God's wisdom and power and love for mankind. Hear, at any rate, how the prophet marvels at it, saying: How great have your works become, O Lord! In wisdom you have made all things; he did not go through them one by one, but gave way to the incomprehensibility of God's wisdom.

That he made it both beautiful and great usefully in this way, hear someone saying, "From the greatness and beauty of created things the Creator of them is seen by analogy"; hear Paul also saying, "For his invisible attributes, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood through the things he has made." For each of these hinted by what he said that this leads us by the hand to the knowledge of God, that this makes us recognize the Master. What then, if we see this beautiful and wonderful thing becoming a cause of impiety for many, shall we blame it? By no means, but rather those who did not use the remedy as they ought. Where then is this a cause of impiety, the thing that leads by the hand to the knowledge of God? They were darkened, he says, in their reasonings, the philosophers, and they revered and served the creature rather than the Creator. Nowhere is the devil here, nowhere is a demon here, but creation alone is set forth in the middle as a teacher of the knowledge of God. How then did it become a cause of impiety? Not by its own nature, but by the negligence of those who do not pay attention. What then? Shall we also abolish creation, tell me? And why do I speak about creation? Let us come to our own members; for we shall find that these too are causes of destruction, if we do not pay attention, not by their own nature, but by our own carelessness. Consider: an eye was given so that, seeing creation, you might glorify the Master; but if you do not use the eye well, it becomes for you a procurer of adultery. And a tongue was given so that you might speak well, so that you might hymn the Creator; but if you do not pay attention well, it becomes for you a cause of blasphemy.

Hands were given so that you might raise them in prayer; but if you are not sober, you stretch them out for greed. Feet were given so that you might run to good works; but if you are negligent, through them you will have wicked deeds. Do you see that everything harms the weak? Do you see that even saving medicines plunge the weak into death, not because of their own nature, but because of that man's weakness? God made heaven so that, marveling at the work, you might worship the Master; but others, leaving the Creator behind, worshiped heaven itself; and these things come from their laziness and folly. But why do I speak of creation? And indeed, what could be more saving than the cross? But this cross has become a stumbling block to the weak; for the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but power of God to those who are being saved; and again: We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews, and folly to Gentiles. What could be more instructive than Paul and the apostles? But these apostles became an odor of death to many; for he says: To some an odor of death unto death, to others an odor of life unto life. Do you see that the weak man is harmed even by Paul, while the strong man is not wronged even by the devil?

4. Do you want us also to exercise this argument in the case of Christ? What is equal to that salvation? What is more useful than that coming? But this coming, which is saving and useful, has become for many an addition of punishment. For he says, "I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind." What are you saying? Has the light become the cause of blindness? The light has not become the cause of blindness, but the weakness of the eyes of the soul could not receive the light. Did you see that the weak man is harmed from every side, while the strong man is benefited from every side? For everywhere the will is the cause, everywhere the judgment is sovereign. Since the devil, if you want to learn, is also useful to us, if we use him as needed, and he benefits us greatly, and we gain no ordinary profit. And this we demonstrated in part also from Job; but it is possible to learn it also from Paul. For writing about the man who had committed fornication, he says thus: "Hand such a one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved." Behold, the devil has become the cause of salvation—not by his own will, but by the skill of the Apostle. For just as physicians, taking vipers and cutting off their deadly members, prepare theriac remedies, so also did Paul: he took whatever was useful from the punishment inflicted by the devil, and let the rest be.

For so that you may learn that the devil was not the cause of salvation, but was eager to destroy and swallow down man, while the Apostle by his own wisdom checked the beast's gullet—hear what he says in the second Epistle to the Corinthians concerning the man who had committed fornication: Confirm your love toward him, lest such a one be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow, and we be taken advantage of by Satan. Let us snatch the man from the throat of the beast, he says. For the Apostle often used the devil as an executioner; and executioners punish those who have sinned, not however as much as they wish, but as much as the judges permit. For this is the law of the executioner: to inflict punishment while attending to the judge's nod. Do you see to what dignity the Apostle rose? He who was clothed in a body used the bodiless one as an executioner, and what the common Master says to the devil concerning Job, commanding thus: Touch his flesh, but do not touch his soul, giving him boundaries and measures of punishment, so that the beast, being reckless, might not rush on more shamelessly—this the Apostle also does. For having handed over to him the man who had committed fornication, he says: For the destruction of the flesh—that is, Do not touch his soul. Do you see the authority of a servant? Do not fear the devil, then, even if he is bodiless; for he has been struck down; and nothing is weaker than one who has been struck down, even if he is not clothed in a body; just as nothing is stronger than one who has boldness, even if he bears about a mortal body.

5. All these things I have said now, not so that I may absolve the devil of blame, but so that I may free you from negligence. For he greatly desires to bring the blame for our sins upon himself, so that, fed by these hopes and rushing into every kind of wickedness, we may increase our own punishment greatly, obtaining no forgiveness by transferring the blame to him—just as Eve did not obtain it either. But let us not do this; rather, let us recognize ourselves, let us recognize our wounds; for in this way we will also be able to apply the remedies. For the one who is ignorant of the disease will take no care for the sickness. We have sinned greatly—I know it too—for we are all under correction; but we have not been deprived of forgiveness, nor have we fallen away from repentance; for we are still standing in the arena, and we are in the contests of repentance. Are you old and have you reached the final departure? Do not think that even so you have fallen away from repentance, nor despair of your own salvation, but consider the robber who was set free on the cross. For what is shorter than that hour in which he was crowned? Yet even that was enough for him for salvation. Are you young? Do not be confident in your youth, nor think that you have a sufficient span of life; for the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. For this reason he made our end uncertain, so that we might make our diligence and forethought evident. Do you not see people snatched away before their time every day? For this reason someone advises: Do not wait to turn to the Lord, nor put off day after day, lest, while you intend to, you be destroyed.

Let the old man have that exhortation; let the young man have this admonition. But are you in safety, and rich, and do you revel in wealth, and does nothing dreadful happen to you? But hear what Paul says: When they say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them. Affairs are full of great change; we are not masters of our end; let us become masters of virtue; our Master Christ is loving toward humanity. Do you wish me to speak also of the ways of repentance? There are many, varied, and diverse, and all lead to heaven. The first way of repentance is the condemnation of one's sins; for say you first your sins, that you may be justified; therefore also the prophet said: I said, I will confess my lawlessness against myself to the Lord, and you forgave the ungodliness of my heart. Condemn, then, you also your sins; this is sufficient for the Master as a defense; for the one who has condemned his sins is more sluggish toward falling into the same things again. Stir up the accuser within, your own conscience, so that you may not

there you have an accuser at the judgment seat of the Lord. One way of repentance, then, is this, and it is the best; but there is also another not inferior to it: not to bear malice against enemies, to master anger, to forgive the sins of fellow servants; for in this way what we have committed against the Master will also be forgiven us. Behold, a second cleansing of sins: For if you forgive, it says, your debtors, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Do you wish to learn a third way of repentance? Fervent and earnest prayer, and to do this from the deepest heart. Did you not see that widow, how she drew to herself the shameless judge? But you have a Master who is gentle and kind and loves mankind; she asked against enemies, but you ask not against enemies, but for your own salvation. And if you wish to learn a fourth, I will speak of almsgiving; for it has great and indescribable power. For even to Nebuchadnezzar, who had come to every form of wickedness and had entered into every impiety, Daniel says: King, let my counsel please you: redeem your sins by almsgivings, and your iniquities by mercies to the poor. What could equal this love of mankind? After countless sins, after so many transgressions, he promises to be reconciled to the one who has offended, if he shows love of mankind to his fellow servants. And moderation and humility of mind no less consume the nature of sins than all the things said; and the tax collector is a witness, having no achievements to mention, but offering humility instead of all things, and laying aside the heavy burden of sins.

Behold, we have shown five ways of repentance: first, the condemnation of one's sins; second, the forgiving of the sins of one's neighbors; third, the one that comes from prayer; fourth, the one that comes from almsgiving; fifth, the one that comes from humility. Do not be idle, then, but walk all these ways each day; for the ways are easy, and you have no poverty to plead in excuse. But even if you live poorer than all people, you will be able to forgive anger and to be humble, and to pray earnestly, and to condemn your sins, and poverty is nowhere a hindrance. And why do I speak here, where not even in that way of repentance in which it is possible to lay down money—I mean almsgiving—not even there does poverty hinder us in any way from the commandment? The widow who laid down the two mites made this clear. Having learned, then, the healing of our wounds, let us apply these remedies continually, so that, having returned to true health, we may enjoy the sacred table with boldness, and with great glory meet Christ, the King of glory, and obtain eternal goods, by the grace and mercies and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father be glory, power, honor, together with the all-holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

That wickedness comes from sloth, and virtue from zeal, and that neither men who are wicked nor the devil himself can harm the one who is sober-minded; and the proof is from many other places, and from the accounts concerning Adam and Job. Homily 3. 1. We, on the day before yesterday, were setting before your love the discourses concerning the devil; but others, on the day before yesterday, while such discourses were being delivered here, sat in the theaters and watched the devil's procession. Those partook of harlots' songs, while you shared in spiritual hearings; those ate the devil's uncleanness, while you were fed with the spiritual myrrh. Who, then, beguiled them? Who, then, severed them from the sacred flock? Did the devil deceive them too? How, then, did he not deceive you? You and they are the same men, I mean by nature; you have the same soul as they, you have the same desires that come from nature. How is it, then, that you and they are not in the same state? Because your choices are not the same as theirs; for this reason they are in deception, but you are outside deception. I do not say these things again to acquit the devil of blame, but striving to free you from sins. The devil is wicked, I also confess it, but he is wicked to himself, not to us, if we are sober-minded; for such is the nature of wickedness: it is destructive only to those who possess it, whereas virtue is the opposite: it can benefit not only those who possess it, but also their neighbors.

And so that you may learn that the wicked man is wicked to himself, while the good man is good also to others, I offer you a proverbial testimony. "Child," it says, "if you become wicked, you will draw up evils alone; but if you are wise, for yourself and for your neighbor." They were deceived in the theaters, but you were not deceived. This is the greatest proof of things, a clear refutation and an indisputable argument that everywhere the will is sovereign. Use this very manner of proof yourself: even if you see a man living in wickedness and displaying every vice, and then blaming the providence of God and saying that by the necessity of fortune and fate and by the tyranny of demons he has handed over our nature, and dragging the cause away from himself from every side and transferring it to the Creator and Provident of this universe—stop his mouth, not with word but with deed, by showing another fellow slave living in virtue and equity. There is no need of long words, no need of a complicated construction, nor of syllogisms; the proof comes through deeds. Say to him: You also are a slave, and he is a slave; you also are a man, and he is a man; you inhabit the same world, you are nourished under the same heaven by the same foods. How is it that you are in wickedness, while he is in virtue? For this reason God also allowed the wicked to be mixed with the good, and did not give one land to the wicked and settle the good in another inhabited world, but mixed these with those, producing great benefit.

For the good appear more proven when they are in the midst of those who hinder them from living rightly and draw them toward wickedness, and yet they lay hold of virtue. For it is necessary, he says, that there also be heresies among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. Therefore for this reason too he allowed the wicked to be in the midst, so that the good might shine forth the more. Do you see how great the gain is? But the gain is not from the wicked, but from the courage of the good. For this reason we also marvel at Noah, not because he was righteous, nor only because he was perfect, but because in that generation, twisted and wicked, he preserved virtue, when he had no example of virtue, when all were urging him toward wickedness; and he went wholly against them, like a traveler walking the opposite road to a great multitude carried along by a rushing current. For this reason Scripture did not say simply, "Noah was righteous, perfect," but added, "in his generation, in the twisted, in the desperate generation," when there was no profit of virtue. So for the good, this was the gain from the wicked; for in this way even trees, fanned by contrary winds, become stronger. But there is also a gain for the wicked from association with the good: they feel shame, they are ashamed, they blush before them, and even if they do not depart from wickedness, nevertheless they dare what they dare only with concealment.

And this is a small thing, that their lawlessness is not held in boldness; for the life of others becomes an accuser of their wickedness. Hear, then, what they say about the righteous man: He is burdensome to us, even when seen. And it is no small beginning of correction to be stung by his presence; for if the sight of the righteous man had not stung them, they would not have uttered this saying; but to be stung and to have one's conscience pricked by his presence would be no small hindrance to using wickedness with impunity. Do you see how great a gain there is both for the good from the wicked and for the wicked from the good? For this reason God did not separate them, but left them to be mingled together. 2. The same account, then, applies to us also concerning the devil. For this reason he too was left here to be, that he might make you stronger, that he might make the athlete more illustrious, that the contests might be greater. When, then, someone says, Why did God leave the devil? say these words to him: Because he has not only done no harm to those who are watchful and attentive, but has even benefited them—not by his own choice (for he is wicked), but by their courage, of those who have used wickedness as needed. For he also clung to Job, not for this reason, that he might make him more illustrious, but that he might trip him up; for this reason he is wicked, because of such a purpose and choice; but nevertheless he did no harm to the righteous man, but rather that man profited from the struggle, which indeed we have demonstrated; and the demon displayed his wickedness, and the righteous man his courage. But he trips up many, he says.

...according to their own weakness, not according to their own strength; for this has already been demonstrated through many. Therefore, set your own resolve aright, and you will never receive harm from anyone, but you will even gain the greatest things, not only from the good but also from the wicked. For this reason, as I said before, God allowed men to be with one another, and especially the good with the wicked, so that they might also lead those others over to their own virtue. Hear, then, what Christ says to his disciples: The kingdom of heaven is like a woman who took leaven and hid it in three measures of flour. So the righteous have the power of leaven, that they might change the wicked to their own quality. But the righteous are few, for the leaven also is small; yet its smallness does no harm to the dough, but that smallness changes all the flour to itself through the power that is in it. So too the power of the righteous has its strength not in the quantity of their number, but in the grace of the Spirit. The apostles were twelve; you saw how small the leaven was? The whole world was in unbelief; you saw how great the dough was? But those twelve turned the whole world to themselves. The leaven and the dough are of the same nature, but not of the same quality; for this reason he allowed the wicked among the righteous, so that just as they are of the same nature as the righteous, so too they might become of the same disposition.

Remember these things; use them to stop the mouths of the slack, the dissolute, the more sluggish, those who shrink back from the labors of virtue, those who accuse our common Master. You have sinned, he says, be quiet; do not add a second sin, a worse one. For it is not so grievous to have sinned as, after the sin, to accuse the Master. Recognize the cause of the sin, and you will find no other than yourself who have sinned. Everywhere there is need of a good resolve; I have shown you this not from bare reasonings, but from fellow servants living in the world itself. Use this same demonstration yourself; for thus will our common Master judge us. Learn this manner of demonstration, and no one will be able to refute you. Does someone commit fornication? Show him another living chastely. Does someone defraud and plunder? Show him one giving alms. Does he live in envy and jealousy? Show him one pure from the passion. Is he mastered by anger? Bring into the midst one living in philosophy. For it is necessary not only to run back to the old narratives, but also to take examples from the present; for even today, by the grace of God, the successes are not less than the former ones. Is someone unbelieving and does he consider the Scriptures to be false? Does he not believe that Job was such a man? Show him another man who emulates the life of that righteous man. For thus will the Master judge us.

He sets fellow servants over fellow servants, and he does not bring the verdict from his own judgment, so that no one may begin to say again, as that servant did who was entrusted with the talent and who, instead of a talent, brought an accusation: "You are harsh." For he ought to have groaned that he had not doubled the talent, but he even made his sin more grievous, adding the accusation against his master to his own idleness. For what does he say? "I saw that you are harsh." O wretched and miserable man, both senseless and slothful: when you ought to have accused your own idleness and to have subtracted something from your former sin, you transferred the accusation to your master, and instead of the talent you doubled the sin. 3. For this reason God sets servants over servants, so that these may judge those, and those, being judged through these, may no longer have any grounds to accuse the Master. For this reason he says: "The Son of Man comes in the glory of his Father." Observe the exactness of the glory: he did not say, "in a glory like the glory of the Father," but "in the glory of the Father," and he will gather all the nations. Fearful is the judgment, fearful to those who sin and are liable; since to those who are conscious of upright deeds it is desirable and pleasant: "And he will set the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left." And both these and those are men. Why then are those sheep, but these goats? Not so that you may learn a change of nature, but a change of will. And why are those who do not give alms goats?

Because the animal is unfruitful, and can contribute to its owners neither the service from milk, nor from offspring, nor from hair, being in every way destitute of such contribution because of the immaturity of its age. For this reason he called those who bear no fruit of almsgiving kids, and those on the right sheep; for from these there is a great yield, from the nature of wool, from offspring, from milk. What then does he say to them? I saw you hungry, and you fed me; naked, and you clothed me; a stranger, and you took me in. Again to those, the opposite; and yet the same men are both these and those, they received the same promises, both these and those, the same prizes were set before both if they succeeded, the same one came to both these and those, with the same nakedness to both these and those, with the same hunger, and a stranger likewise; all things equal for both those and these. How then is the end not equal? Because their free choice did not permit it; for this alone made the distinction. For this reason those go to Gehenna, but these to the kingdom; but if the devil were the cause of their sins, then, when another sinned and was driven to it, these would not be punished. Did you see here both those who sinned and those who succeeded? Did you see how, having seen their fellow servants, they were silenced? Come, let us bring the argument to another example as well. There were, he says, ten virgins. Again here the free choices are what succeeded, again what failed, so that from the parallel you may see both the sins of these and the successes of those.

For comparison makes these things clearer. Both these and those were virgins, both these and those were five; both these and those had lamps; all were awaiting the bridegroom. How then did some enter and others not enter? Because the former were inhuman, while the latter were gentle and humane. Do you see again that it is the choice that becomes the cause of the outcome, not the devil? Did you see the judgments set side by side, and the verdict carried by like cases? Fellow servants will judge fellow servants. Do you wish me to show you that a comparison is also made from unlike cases? For it is also made from unlike cases, so that the condemnation may become clearer. The men of Nineveh, he says, will rise up and condemn this generation. Those being judged are no longer alike; for the former were barbarians, the latter Jews; the former enjoyed prophetic teaching, while the latter never partook of divine instruction. And this is not the only difference, but that there a servant came, here the Master; and that one proclaimed destruction when he came, while this one announced the kingdom of heaven. Who then was it reasonable to believe rather, the barbarians and the foolish who had never partaken of divine teaching, or those who from their earliest age were nurtured on the prophetic books? It is clear to everyone that the Jews were more likely to believe; but the opposite happened. And these disbelieved the Master proclaiming the kingdom of heaven, while those believed the fellow servant threatening destruction, so that the forbearance of the former and the obstinacy of the latter might be shown more greatly. Is it some demon? Is it some devil? Is it some fortune? Is it some fate?

Was not each person responsible to himself for both vice and virtue? For if they were not themselves going to be accountable, he would not have said, "They will condemn this generation"; nor would he have said that the queen of the South would condemn the Jews. For surely it is not only peoples that will condemn peoples then, but often even one man will condemn an entire people, when those who were more susceptible to deception are shown to have remained undeceived, while those who ought to have prevailed by every means happen to have been defeated. For this reason we have mentioned both Adam and Job; for it is necessary to return again to that subject, so as to give the remainder of the account. To Adam, then, he attacked with bare words, but to Job also through deeds; for he stripped the one of all his wealth and deprived him of his children, while from the other he took away nothing small or great of his possessions. But rather let us examine the very words, and the manner of the attack. The serpent came, it says, and said to the woman, "Why is it that God said, You shall not eat from any tree in the paradise?" Here a serpent, there a woman in the case of Job; for now the difference between the counselors is great. For the one was a slave, the other a partner in life; the one a helper, the other was in subjection. Do you see how inexcusable it is? For the one was deceived by a subject and slave, but the other not even his partner and helper was able to trip up. But let us see also what he says: "Why is it that God said, You shall not eat from any tree?" And yet God did not say this, but the opposite. Observe, then, the devil's malice: he said what was not said, in order to learn what was said. What then did the woman say?

He should have stopped his mouth; he should not have shared his words; out of folly he blurted out the Master's mind—therefore he gave him a strong hold. 4. See how great an evil it is to hand oneself over simply to enemies and plotters. For this reason Christ said: Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before the swine, lest they turn and tear you. This happened in the case of Eve: she gave what was holy to the dog, to the swine; he trampled on the words, and turning, he tore the woman. And see how he works mischief: "You shall not die the death," he says. Pay attention to me here, that the woman was able to see through the deception. For immediately he proclaimed the enmity and the war against God; immediately he spoke in opposition. Granted—before this, you were speaking to one who wished to learn the mind; after this, when he spoke contrary things, why did you follow him? God said, "You shall die the death"; that one spoke in opposition to these words and said, "You shall not die the death." What is clearer than this war? From where else should one have learned that he was an enemy and adversary, except from this—from his speaking in opposition to God? It was necessary, then, to flee the bait immediately; it was necessary to leap away from the trap. "You shall not die the death," he says; "for God knew that on the day you eat, your eyes will be opened, and you will be as gods." By the hope of a greater promise he cast out even the good things in her hands; he promised to make them gods, and he cast them down into the tyranny of death. From where, then, did you believe the devil, O woman? What good did you perceive?

Was the credibility of the lawgiver not sufficient—that the one was God, both creator and maker, while the other was the devil and enemy? And I do not yet say "devil"; you thought him to be a mere serpent. Tell me, then, should one have deemed a serpent worthy of such equal speech as even to declare to it the Master's mind? Do you see that it was possible to perceive the deception, but she was not willing? And yet God gave sufficient proofs of his own beneficence, and through his works he displayed his care: for he formed man when he was not, and breathed a soul into him, and made him in his image, making him ruler over all things on the earth, and granted him a helper, and planted a paradise, and, permitting the use of the other trees, he forbade him to touch only one; and this very thing he hindered profitably. But the devil displayed no good, either small or great, in deed, but by mere words he lifted up the woman and inflated her with vain hopes, and so deceived her. Nevertheless she deemed the devil more credible than God, although he had displayed his goodwill through works, while the other brought forward mere words alone, and nothing else; yet the woman believed. Do you see how the deception came from folly alone and negligence, not from force? And so that you may learn this more clearly, hear how Scripture also accuses the woman. For it did not say, "She was deceived," but, "She saw that the tree was beautiful, and she ate." So the charge belongs to the uncontrolled sight, not to the deception from the devil alone; for she was defeated by her own desire, not by the wickedness of the demon.

For this reason she did not obtain pardon either, but said, "The serpent deceived me." And so she paid the ultimate penalty; for in her lay the power not to fall. And so that you may learn this more clearly, come, let us bring the argument to Job—from those who were defeated to the one who prevailed, from the conquered to the conqueror; for he will give us greater eagerness to raise our hands against the devil. There the deceiver was a serpent, and he prevailed; here it was a woman, and she did not prevail—though she was far more persuasive than he. And against Job the device was brought after the loss of his possessions, after the loss of his children and the stripping away of all that he had; but there nothing of the sort was present. Adam did not lose children, did not lose possessions, did not sit on a dung heap, but dwelt in a paradise of delight and enjoyed trees of every kind and a spring and rivers and all the rest of his freedom. Nowhere was there toil or pain, nor despondency and cares, nor reproaches and insults, nor the countless evils that swooped down upon Job; yet though there was nothing of the sort, he fell and was tripped up. Is it not evident that it was through slackness? Just as that man, then, with all these things pressing and weighing upon him, stood nobly and did not fall, is it not evident that this man fell through watchfulness of soul?

5. Therefore, beloved, from both sides reap the greatest gain, and flee the zeal of Adam, knowing how many evils are born of sloth; but be zealous for the caution of Job, having learned how many good things blossom from diligence. Reckon this crowned athlete always, and you will have sufficient consolation for every pain and circumstance. For just as that blessed and noble man, standing as it were in the common theater of the world, converses with all through the sufferings that befell him, [exhorting them] to bear all that happens nobly, and to yield to none of the evils that come upon them. For there is not, there is not any human suffering which cannot receive consolation from there; for the sufferings that have been scattered throughout the whole world, these came together and fell upon that one body of his. What excuse, then, will there be for the one who is unable to bear with thanksgiving some part of the terrible things brought upon that man, when he plainly bears not a part only, but the whole of the evils of all men? And so that you may not condemn the discourse as exaggeration, come, let us take each one of the things that came upon him and bring this promise to bear. And, if you wish, let us first bring into the middle that which seems to be the most unbearable of all—I mean poverty, and the pain that comes from it; for this all men everywhere lament. What, then, has become poorer than Job, who was poorer than those thrown into the baths, and those sleeping in the ash of the furnace, and simply than all men?

For these men, even if they have a torn garment, yet that man sat naked, and the only garment he had from nature—the covering of the flesh—the devil destroyed from every side with a grievous putrefaction. Again, these poor men are at least under a roof, at the vestibules of the baths, or covered by a hut; but that man spent every night continually in the open air, not even having the comfort of a bare roof. And what is greater, these men are conscious of many dreadful things in themselves, but that man was conscious of nothing in himself. For this, observed in each of the things that happened to him, made his pain greater and produced more perplexity—namely, not even knowing the cause of what was happening. These men, then, as I said, would have much to blame themselves for; and this is no small thing for the comfort of misfortune—to be conscious that one is justly punished; but that man was deprived even of this comfort, and though he displayed a manner of life full of virtue, he endured the things of those who have dared the worst. And these poor men among us have practiced misfortune from above and from the beginning; but that man endured poverty unpracticed, receiving the change from wealth all at once. Just as, therefore, knowing the cause of what happens is the greatest thing for comfort, so no less than that is it to have practiced poverty from the beginning and thus to live in poverty; of both of which that righteous man was deprived, and not even so did he fall. Did you see him come even to the last poverty, beyond which one cannot find another? For what could be poorer than a naked man, who does not even have a roof?

But rather he was not even altogether master of enjoying the ground; for he sat not on the earth, but on the dung heap. Therefore whenever you see yourself come into poverty, consider the suffering of the righteous man, and immediately you will rise up and beat back every thought of despondency. This, then, is one calamity that seems to men to be the ground of all dreadful things together; but the second after that one—or rather before it—is the affliction of the body. Who, then, was ever so sick? Who endured such a disease? Who received so great a blow, or saw another receiving it? There is no one. Little by little his body was consumed, and a spring of worms gushed forth from every side from his limbs, and this flow was continual, and the stench was great from every direction, and the body, being little by little destroyed and melting away with such putrefaction, made his food unpleasant, and his hunger was strange and paradoxical; for not even when food was given could he enjoy it. For I see, he says, my food as a stench. Whenever, then, you fall into sickness, O man, remember that body and that holy flesh; for it was holy and pure, and had such wounds. And if someone is serving in the army, and then unjustly and without

Having been suspended on the wood by some plausible pretext, his sides are torn apart, let him not consider the matter a reproach, nor give in to the pain, thinking of this holy man. But he had, it says, sufficient consolation and comfort in knowing that God was bringing these things upon him. This, then, especially troubled and disturbed him, that he thought the righteous God, whom he had served in every way, was warring against him. And he could not find any plausible pretext for what was happening; since, when he later learned the cause, see how great a reverence he displayed; for when God said to him: Do you think I have conversed with you for any other reason than that you might appear righteous? Astonished, he says: I will lay my hand upon my mouth; I have spoken once, but I will not add a second time. And again, Before, I heard of you by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye has seen you; therefore I have despised myself and melted away; and I have considered myself earth and ashes. 6. But if you think this suffices for consolation, you too will be able to have this comfort. For even if you suffer some terrible thing not on account of God, but from the malice of men, and you give thanks, and do not blaspheme the one who was able to prevent it but allowed it for the sake of your testing, just as those who suffered on account of God are crowned, so you too will obtain the same rewards, because you bore nobly the calamities brought upon you by men, and gave thanks to the one who was able to prevent them but did not wish to. Behold, then, both poverty and sickness, and both in their utmost excess, you have seen brought upon the righteous man.

Do you want me to show you also the war that came from nature itself, attacking that noble man then with such excess? He lost ten children—ten at once, ten in the very flower of their age, ten who had displayed great virtue—and not even by the common law of nature, but by a violent and pitiable death. Who could describe such a calamity? There is no one. So when you lose a son and a daughter together, run back to that righteous man, and you will surely find great consolation for yourself. Was it only these terrible things that happened to him? What of the abandonment and betrayal of friends, the mockeries and insults, the jeering and laughter? To be ridiculed by all was unbearable. For it is not so much the nature of calamities, as those who reproach us in the midst of our calamities, that are accustomed to bite our soul. Not only was there no one to comfort him, but many pressed upon him from every side with reproaches. And you see him lamenting this very thing and saying: "But you also have set upon me"; and he calls them merciless, and says: "Because my neighbors have turned away from me, and my servants spoke against me, and they called me the son of concubines, and they leaped away." And others, he says, spat on me, and I became a byword of all, and even my own garment, he says, loathed me. These things are not even bearable to hear, let alone to endure through the actual events themselves. Extreme poverty, and an unbearable disease, both strange and paradoxical; the loss of so many children, such as they were, and in such a manner; reproaches and mockeries and insults from men.

Some mocked, others reproached, others despised—not enemies only, but friends too; not friends only, but household servants too; and they did not merely mock and reproach, but even loathed him, and this not for two or three or ten days, but for many months. And what happened to him alone—he did not even have the consolation that comes from night, but the apparition of nocturnal fears was a greater addition to the terrors of the day. For that he endured harsher things in sleep, hear what he says: Why do you frighten me in sleep, and terrify me with visions? What man of iron, what adamant, would have endured so many terrors? For if each of these things is unbearable by itself, consider how great a tumult they raised when they came together. 49.273-274 But nevertheless that man bore all these things, and in all the things that happened to him he did not sin, nor was there guile in his lips. 7. Let his sufferings, then, become medicines for our evils, and let the harsh billow of his trials be a harbor for our passions, and for each of the things that happen to us let us reflect on the holy man; and seeing one body that drew up the terrors of the whole inhabited world, let us bear ourselves nobly in our particular circumstances; and just as toward a loving mother who stretches out her hands from every side, and receives and restores frightened children, so let us always flee to this book; and even if the most pitiable of all terrors come upon us, having received sufficient consolation for all things, so shall we depart.

But if you say, "That was Job, and for this reason he endured; but I am not like him," you are bringing a greater accusation against yourself, and again a praise of the righteous man; for it is more likely that you should endure than he. Why ever so? Because he lived before grace and before the law, when there was not great strictness of conduct, when the grace of the Spirit was not so great, when sin was hard to struggle against, when the curse prevailed, when death was fearful; but now the contests have become easier, since after the coming of Christ all these things have been abolished. So that we have no defense, if after so much time and so great progress and so many gifts given to us by God, we are unable to reach the same measure as he. Therefore, considering all these things—that his dangers were greater, and that when the struggle was harder, then he stripped and wrestled—let us bear all that comes upon us nobly, and with much thanksgiving, so that we may be able to obtain the same crowns as he, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be the glory, with the Holy Spirit, now and always, and to the ages of ages. Amen.