A (for this is also a cause for envy), then divert your ambition like a stream toward the acquisition of virtue. Do not desire to be wealthy at all costs, nor to be well-regarded on account of the things of this world. For those things are not in your power; but be just, and temperate, and prudent, and brave, and patient in the sufferings undergone for the sake of piety. For thus you will both save yourself, and obtain greater renown through greater goods. For virtue is within our power, and can be acquired by the diligent; but the accumulation of riches, and personal beauty, and the weight of honors are not in our power. If, therefore, virtue is both a greater and more lasting good, and is acknowledged by all to be preferred, this must be pursued by us; for it is impossible for it to be innate in the soul, unless it is purged of other passions and, most of all, of envy. B
6. Do you not see what a great evil hypocrisy is? And this is a fruit of envy. For envy most especially produces a double nature in men, when they keep hatred in their depths but show a surface colored over with the appearance of love; just like hidden reefs in the sea, which, covered by a little water, become an unforeseen evil to the unwary. If, therefore, death flows into us from there as from a fountain, along with the loss of good things, estrangement from God, the confusion of laws, C and the overthrow of all the good things pertaining to life, let us be persuaded by the Apostle, and "Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another, envying one another"; but rather be kind, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave us in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
HOMILY XII. On the Beginning of the Proverbs.
1. Eximious is the reward of obedience. Let us therefore obey the kind Father, who proposes to us contests D from the oracles of the Spirit; who, like skilled hunters in places difficult to access, wishes to test the running of some whelp. Now He has proposed to us for explanation the beginning of the Proverbs. But as for how the understanding of these words is difficult—
is difficult to grasp, is evident to anyone who attends even for a little while. Nevertheless, one must approach the task without delay or hesitation, placing hope in the Lord, who through the prayers of the pastor will grant us speech in the A opening of our mouths. We have known the three works of the most wise Solomon: this one of the Proverbs, that of Ecclesiastes, and that of the Song of Songs; each one is composed for its own proper end, yet all were written for the benefit of men. For the Proverb is an instruction of morals and a correction of passions, and in sum, a discipline of life, comprising sound and prudent precepts of things that must be done. Ecclesiastes touches upon physiology, and reveals to us the vanity of the things in this world, so that we may not deem passing things worthy of pursuit, nor spend the cares of our soul on futile things. B The Song of Songs, moreover, shows the way toward the perfection of souls. For it contains the harmony of the bride and the bridegroom, that is, the familiarity and communion of the soul with God the Word. But let us return to the subject at hand.
2. Proverbs of Solomon son of David, who reigned in Israel. The name of "proverbs" is taken from the more common discourses of those outside, and from those things which are for the most part spoken in the streets. For "way" is called [GREEK: oimos] among them, whence they also define a "proverb" C as a trivial word, worn out in the usage of the many, and able to be transferred from a few things to many similar ones. With us, however, a proverb is a useful discourse, expressed with a moderate obscurity, containing much utility according to the letter itself, and concealing much understanding within the depth. Whence also the Lord says, "These things," he says, "I have spoken to you in proverbs. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in proverbs, but will speak openly to you"; because a discourse which has passed into a proverb does not have an open sense known to the vulgar, but indicates its understanding obliquely to the more sagacious. Therefore, the Proverbs of Solomon are, that is to say, hortatory discourses, useful for every way of life. Furthermore, he added the name of the writer, so that by the renown of the person he might attract the auditor. For the authority and dignity of the teacher makes the discourse acceptable, and renders the disciples more attentive. These then are the Proverbs of Solomon, of that Solomon to whom the Lord said: "Behold, I have given thee a prudent and wise heart: like unto thee, there hath been none before thee; and after thee there shall not arise any like unto thee." And again: God gave Solomon wisdom and prudence. D
A much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country and all the wisdom of Egypt. Thus necessary is the addition of the name: "The Proverbs of Solomon the son of David." The father is added, that thou mightest know that Solomon was wise, being from a wise and prophetic father, instructed in the holy scriptures from his infancy, and that he did not attain to the sovereignty by lot, nor did he seize the kingdom when it in no way pertained to him, but received the paternal scepters by the just judgment of his father and the suffrage of God. This man became king of Jerusalem B. Nor is this a trivial detail; it serves especially for the distinction between those of the same name, and furthermore it was added also on account of the construction of the most celebrated temple, that thou mightest know its creator and the cause of all the administration, laws, and good order within the city. It contributes much to the reception of the admonitions that it is a king who authors the discourse. For if a kingdom is a lawful authority, it is manifest that the instructions given by a king (that is, one who is truly worthy of this title) possess much of what is lawful, having as their aim the common benefit of all, and not being composed for the goal of private gain. For in this a tyrant differs from a king, in that the former looks only to his own advantage from every quarter, while the latter procures what is useful for his subjects. The utilities of the book are also enumerated, as to what they are and how great they are for those who are taught.
3. And first, it is possible to know wisdom and instruction from the Proverbs. For wisdom is the knowledge of things divine and human, and of the causes of these things. He therefore who C practices theology aright and successfully acknowledges wisdom, as the blessed Paul also says: "We speak wisdom among them that are perfect; yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory." And he who considers the Creator from the construction of the world,
A also knows God through the world’s wisdom. "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made." He instructs us in the concept of God B through those things of which he says: "The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth"; and again, "When he prepared the heavens, I was present with him"; and "I was by him, bringing up: and I was daily his delight." For by personifying wisdom to us, he speaks from her in order to set forth her knowledge clearly. And, in short, what is said, "The Lord created me C the beginning of his ways," he speaks concerning the wisdom revealed in the world, as though it were uttering a voice through the things that are seen, [proclaiming] that it has been brought into being by God, and that such great wisdom does not shine forth by chance in the created things. For as "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handywork" (and they declare it without a voice—for "there is no speech nor language where their voices are not heard"), so too are there certain discourses of that primordial wisdom, which was established in the creation before the other things in the formation of the world. This [wisdom], while silent, cries out its own creator and Lord, that through it, you might run back to the concept of the only wise one.
4. There is also a human wisdom, the experience of things pertaining to life, by which we call those wise who are skilled in each of the useful arts. Wherefore, the writer has also devoted a great part of his book to encouraging us toward wisdom. "Wisdom is praised in the exits of the roads, and she acts with freedom in the public squares, and is proclaimed upon the high walls." C For seeing the ambition of men, and that we all naturally cherish her conspicuousness, he rouses our souls through the praises of wisdom, that we might not lazily or half-heartedly strive for her. He says that her discourse is everywhere in abundance: in the roads, in the forums, in the strongholds of the city. For this reason he mentions gates, squares, and walls—indicating her conspicuousness through the exits and the squares, and her utility and sufficiency for every security of life through the walls. And wishing to bind us to her by familiarity and intimacy: "Say," he says, "that wisdom is your sister." And again: "Love her, and she shall preserve thee." Then, showing her common utility, and that her utility extends equally to all: "She hath killed," he says, "her victims."
That is to say, she has prepared solid food for those who have the senses of the soul exercised by reason of use. A She mixed her wine into a bowl, gladdening the heart of man. By the "bowl" he means the common and general participation in good things, from which it is permitted to all, as each is able and as is fitting for each, to draw equally. And she prepared her own table. He says everything by way of emphasis, indicating spiritual things to us through bodily ones. For he calls the rational food of the soul a table, to which she summons with a high proclamation, that is, with decrees and teachings that have nothing base or cast down. "Whoever is foolish, let him turn aside to me." For just as those who are ill have need of medicine, so those who are foolish have need of wisdom. And the text: "For it is better to trade in it than in treasures of gold and silver," B and the text: "It is more precious than costly stones, and every precious thing is not worthy of it," and the text: "My son, if you are wise, you will be wise for yourself and for your neighbors," and the text: "For a wise son, actions will be prosperous." And in short, it is permitted for you to know the truth of the word, if you collect at your leisure what has been said concerning wisdom by Solomon. Since, however, wisdom will not enter into a malevolent soul, she first purifies through the fear of God the souls of those who are about to associate with wisdom. For to cast the mysteries of salvation to those who happen by, and to receive all alike—those who are adorned neither with a pure life nor with a refined and accurate reason—is the same as if one should pour the most precious ointment into a filthy vessel. C For this reason, "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord." And fear is the purification of the soul according to the prayer of the prophet who says: "Pierce my flesh with your fear." For where fear dwells, there all the purity of the soul resides, and every wickedness and impious deed flees away, since the members of the body, because they are as if fastened by fear with certain nails, are unable to be moved toward improper actions. For just as a person who has physical nails driven into him is incapacitated, being held fast by pains, so one who is seized by the fear of God is unable to use his eye for what is not proper, nor to move his hands toward forbidden deeds, nor in any way to perform anything small or great contrary to duty, being pierced by a certain pain due to the expectation of the threatened punishments. D He drives away the profane and the common from divine teachings, saying: "And those without fear shall linger at the gates." And the text: "You shall seek wisdom among the wicked, and you shall not find it." And again: "You shall seek...
me, you wicked ones, and you shall not find me," because they have not been A purified by divine fear. Therefore, he who is about to approach the attainment of wisdom must first approach it having been purged of the defilements of wickedness through healing fear.
So there has appeared to us another good thing from the teaching of the Proverbs: the attainment of fear, introduced to us through wisdom. The second thing among the promises was "to know discipline." Now, discipline is a certain instruction profitable to the soul, which often, not without much labor, purges it from the stains of wickedness. This, for the present, does not seem to be a matter of joy, but of grief; but afterwards it yields peaceful fruit to those who have been exercised by it unto salvation.
To know this discipline, therefore, is not for just any mind; for many, becoming despondent at the arduousness of the things to be done, do not look for the profitable nature of the outcome due to their ignorance and lack of experience, but, bearing the austerity of the cure with difficulty, they remain in the infirmities of their ignorance. For this reason the voices of the just are worthy of admiration, saying: "O Lord, do not rebuke me in thy anger, nor discipline me in thy wrath" (Ps. VI, 1). For they do not deprecate discipline, but rather the wrath. Similar to this is also the passage: "Discipline us, O Lord, but yet in judgement, and not in anger" (Jer. X, 24). And this: "The discipline of the Lord opens my ears" (Isa. L, 5).
For as small children, who are negligent in learning, after they have been struck with the lash by masters or tutors, becoming more attentive, receive the instructions—and whereas the same lesson was not heard before the blows, after the pain of the lashes, as if their ears had just been opened, it is received by the hearing and preserved in the memory—so it happens also to those who neglect divine instruction and hold the commandments in contempt. For after they have experienced the correction and discipline of God, then most especially the commands of God, which had always been proclaimed but always neglected, are received as if falling into their ears for the first time. For this reason, he says: "The discipline of the Lord opens my ears."
Since, therefore, discipline corrects him who conducts himself inordinately, as Paul used to do when he delivered C such a one to Satan, as if to some executioner who would rack and scourge him, so that they might learn not to blaspheme; and brings back the rebellious, of whom it is said that "After his captivity he repented" (Jer. XXXI, 19): it is necessary to recognize the power of discipline and to how many and how great things it is useful.
Solomon, therefore, being aware of its utility, thus admonishes: "Do not refrain from disciplining a child, for if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. For you shall indeed strike him with a rod, but you shall deliver his soul from death" (Prov. XXIII, 13, 14). For what son is there whom a father does not discipline (cf. Heb. XII, 7)? This discipline is held in higher esteem than many riches by those who rightly D estimate things. Therefore Solomon also says:
A Receive discipline, and not silver; so that in a time of calamity, whether the body is ailing or domestic affairs are faring poorly, you may never think anything wicked about God, but in great patience may accept the blows from Him, being disciplined for those things in which you have sinned, and you yourself may say, because you have learned discipline: I will bear the anger of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him (Mich. VII, 9). And that: It is good for me that You have humbled me (Psal. CXVIII, 71). Such was Paul, saying: Being disciplined, and not put to death (II Cor. VI, 9). And: Being reproved, we are disciplined by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world (I Cor. XI, 32).
6. Furthermore, because the reception of teachings B is also called discipline, according to what is written concerning Moses, that he was instructed (Acts VII, 22) in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, it is of no small importance for salvation not to apply oneself to just any random teachings, but to know the most useful discipline. For already some, by devoting their leisure to geometry, which the Egyptians invented, or to the astrology held in honor by the Chaldeans, or in general to meteorology having to do with shapes and shadows, have despised the discipline of the divine oracles. But even poetics, and rhetoric, and the discovery of sophisms have occupied many, the substance of which is falsehood. For neither can poetics subsist without myth, C nor rhetoric without the art of speaking, nor sophistry without paralogisms (logical fallacies). Since, therefore, many have neglected the knowledge of God in their zeal for these things, growing old in the investigation of vain matters, the knowledge of discipline is necessary, both for the selection of useful discipline and for the avoidance of that which is useless and harmful. It is also possible for one who attends to the Proverbs, and who does not sluggishly accept those things which are useful from them, to understand the words of prudence. We know, therefore, that prudence is one of the general virtues, by which we human beings are instructed in good, evil, and indifferent things. D The prudent man, of course, is named derivatively from prudence. How then is the serpent testified to have been the most prudent of all beasts (Gen. III, 1)? And again the Lord:
A *Be ye prudent as serpents* (Matt. X, 16). *And the steward of iniquity was called prudent* (Luke XVI, 8). Is it not clear that the name of prudence is double? One kind is the preservation of one’s own advantage combined with the plotting against a neighbor, such as that of the serpent, which guards its own head. And this seems to be a certain craftiness of character, quickly contriving what is useful to itself, and plundering the simpler ones; such was the steward of iniquity. But true prudence is the knowledge and discernment of what should be done and what should not be done; he who follows this will never depart from the works of virtue, nor will he ever be pierced by the deadly dart of vice. Therefore, he who understands the words of prudence knows both which ones are sophistical and deceitful, and which are those that suggest to us the best things to be done in life; and like a good money-changer, he will hold fast what is good, and abstain from every form of evil (I Thess. V, 21). This prudence grants to him who builds his own house the ability to lay its foundation upon the rock, that is, to be supported by faith in Christ, so that it may remain unshaken in the rains, and the winds, and the onsets of rivers (Matt. VII, 25). For the Lord has indicated to us through these words of the parable the unshakable stability in temptations, both in those that are human and in those that are brought upon us from above. He also teaches us not to neglect necessary things, but to be prepared ahead of time with the provisions for life, and in the readiness of the heart to await the coming of the Bridegroom. B For the prudent virgins, he says, because they had oil in their lamps, entered with the Bridegroom; but the foolish, because they were unprepared, were excluded from the joy of the bridal chamber (Matt. XXV, 10 sqq.).
7. After this, let us see what it is to receive the subtleties of speech (Prov. I, 3). For the true word, proceeding from a sound mind, is simple and uniform, always saying the same things about the same matters; but the multifaceted and artificial word, since it has much complexity and contrivance, assumes a thousand forms, and transforming itself to win the favor of those with whom it converses, turns over countless subtleties in the mind. Therefore, that we may be able to strongly resist the assault of artificial words, the Proverbs are a great help. For he who is intent upon them, and does not listen to their admonitions negligently, being armed as it were by experience, receives the subtleties of words without any harm, C neither being overturned nor... [[Note: Translation continues to the next page, as the text at the bottom of 400 is a continuation of the sentence fragment.]]
rds without any harm, neither being overturned nor at any time straying from the truth. For when things are one way by nature, but words persuade [people] otherwise about them, that is a kind of trick, or rather a distortion of the truth brought about through speech. And he who appears to be one thing, but is another in reality, uses tricks of speech, deceiving those with whom he associates, like hares and foxes [deceive] dogs, by pointing out one path and treading another. A Or are these tricks of speech the antitheses of "falsely named knowledge"? For, not accepting the simplicity of spiritual teaching, those who are sharpened by dialectic for the sake of arguing often overturn the power of the truth with the persuasiveness of their sophisms. He, therefore, who is fortified by the Proverbs receives these tricks of speech. And if he ever encounters problems having arguments of equal weight on either side, among which it is difficult to judge the finding of the more persuasive case, nonetheless, because he has been exercised B in the Proverbs, he will not be confused in his mind, even if those debating seem to bring the equal blows of their arguments against one another most vehemently.
8. The Proverb also grants the understanding of true justice. Since, then, justice is a habit that distributes to each what is due, and this is hard to attain—for some, on account of a lack of wisdom, do not find how to distribute what is equal to each; while others, because they are preoccupied by human passions, efface justice, when they despise the poor but do not reprove C injurious men of power—the Book of Proverbs promises to give to its own disciples the knowledge of true justice. And since many, hunting for praise from the many, in deed prefer injustice and greed as something useful, while in appearance and in words they admire equality and justice extravagantly; not even these will be unknown to one instructed in the Proverbs, but he will know which is the counterfeit and adulterated justice, and which is the true and guileless justice. But since even those outside—the wise—have D contributed many arguments about justice, and plausibly deceive those who are not able to follow the true line of reasoning regarding this subject, the book promises to make known the true justice, so that we may escape the harm from their sophisms. Now, indeed, the customs of the nations, also, which have much difference between one another, produce confusion in the minds of those who have not attained an accurate rationale of justice. For some nations consider parricide to be just and equitable; others of the nations turn away from all killing as impious. And some hold temperance in high regard; others run wild in lust toward mothers, daughters, and sisters. And, generally, many, vanquished by ancient custom, do not discern the abomination of what is done. But this book, teaching the things concerning true justice, delivers men from those beastly and senseless passions. Now justice is...
a certain distribution of equality that circulates among us. For even if we do not attain it with precision, yet by acting with the most just intention, we do not fall short of the goal. A There is also another justice, brought down from heaven by the just Judge, both corrective and retributive, whose depth is very difficult to contemplate on account of the height of the doctrines stored within it. For this, I think, the Psalmist speaks: "Your justice is like the mountains of God" (Ps. xxxv, 7). He therefore promises to make this truly real and divine justice manifest to those who have been exercised in the instruction of the Proverbs.
9. Furthermore, since some sins are involuntary, while others arise from a wicked purpose, the standard of equity is not the same in these cases. For let us propose that fornication is being judged, and that there are two harlots. B But the one, having been sold to a pimp, is necessarily involved in evil, providing gain from her body to a wicked master; whereas the other has freely given herself over to sin for the sake of pleasure. In one way, therefore, involuntary acts receive pardon; in another way, those things which are done from a wicked will are condemned. Again, someone has sinned, having been raised wickedly from the beginning; for he was brought into life born of unjust parents, and was nurtured amidst iniquitous words and deeds; but another had many incitements to virtue: a most honorable upbringing, the admonition of parents, the discipline of masters, the hearing of more divine discourses, a disciplined and moderate diet, and other things by which the soul is trained toward virtue; yet he himself later slipped into a similar sin; will not such a one, C justly and deservedly, be punished with a more severe penalty? For the former will be accused only regarding the saving opportunities sown in our minds, because he did not use them rightly; but the latter, in addition to this, will be accused because he betrayed all the help given to him and was imprudently dragged into a wicked life. Therefore, to understand true justice is a matter of a truly great soul and a most perfect mind. Perhaps it also contains the promise that he who has been instructed in the Proverbs will be able, thereafter, to direct his mind to the accurate contemplation of theology. For true justice is Christ, "Who was made for us wisdom from God, and justice, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1, 30). There is added also to the knowledge of true justice, that one’s judgment be rightly directed (Prov. 1, 3). For it is impossible that he who has not first been instructed in the knowledge of justice should be able to rightly judge ambiguous matters. D For neither could Solomon himself, unless he had possessed in himself the precise principles of justice, have delivered that most famous judgment concerning the child between the harlots so rightly and skillfully. For since what was said by each lacked witnesses, he had recourse to nature, and by its aid, he discovered the things which were unknown.
A And the true mother, because of her natural affection, could not even bear to hear of the slaughter. He, therefore, who knows true justice, and has been taught by it to assign to each his due, is able to direct judgment aright. For just as an archer directs his arrow toward the target, neither exceeding the mark, nor falling short, nor wandering from the path of his intended shot by swerving to either side; so the judge aims for what is just, neither showing partiality (for to recognize 23 a person in judgment is not good), nor acting out of bias 24, but delivering judgments that are straight and undistorted. And when two parties are being judged before him, the one who has taken more and the one who has less, the judge stands by, making them equal to each other, and taking away from him who has the excess just as much as he finds the one who is wronged lacks. But he who does not have true justice stored up within his soul, but is either corrupted by money, or shows favor out of friendship, B or seeks vengeance for enmity, or is overawed by power, cannot direct judgment aright. To him the Psalm says: "If in very truth you speak justice, judge rightly, O you sons of men" 22. For the test of a righteous disposition is uprightness in judging. Therefore, he himself, continuing, forbids this, saying: "A large and a small weight 26, are an abomination before the Lord," insinuating by way of a proverb, through the mention of weights, the inequality in judgment. Nor is this useful only for those who are judges, but also for the choices concerning each individual matter in life. Since we have within ourselves a natural criterion by which we distinguish the good from the evil, it is necessary for us in choosing what must be done to make correct discernments of things; C and, as if some judge governing the conflicting parties with an equal and most just mind, we must follow after virtue and condemn vice 27. For example, fornication and chastity are judged before you, and your high mind, entrusted with the court of judgment, presides; and while pleasure pleads on behalf of fornication, the fear of God comes to the aid of chastity. If, therefore, you condemn the sin and grant victory to chastity, you have made a straight judgment of the matter; but if, giving the inclination to pleasure, you declare the sin to be preferable, you have made the judgment crooked, becoming liable to the curse of him who says: "Woe to those who call D
bitterness sweet, and sweet bitter; who call light darkness, and darkness light A."
10. Since, therefore, according to Solomon, "the thoughts of the just are judgments 25," it is necessary to apply oneself diligently, within the hidden tribunal of the thoughts, to form upright judgments concerning matters, and to possess a mind like a balance, which weighs each of the things that must be done without any inclination. When any commandment and the vice opposed to it are brought before your judgment, give B the victory to the law of God against sin. Are covetousness and equity being judged? Pronounce against the greed for others' goods, and give the superior vote to virtue. Do railing and long-suffering contend against one another? Cast shame upon railing, and prefer long-suffering. Do hatred and love contend? Make the former dishonored, and banish it as far as possible; but honor love, and make it familiar to yourself. C Simulation and simplicity, fortitude and timidity, prudence and folly, justice and injustice, modesty and immodesty, and, to speak briefly, does any virtue whatever undergo judgment with any vice? Then, therefore, show the uprightness of your judgments in the hidden tribunal of your soul; and, taking the commandment as a kind of assessor to yourself, manifest your hatred of wickedness, turning away from sins and preferring virtues. For if you act in such a way that in every action the better things win out within you, you will be blessed "in that day, when God will judge the secret things of men 26" according to our Gospel, while their thoughts between one another accuse or also defend them, and you will not depart condemned on account of any inclination toward evil things, but you will be honored with the crowns of justice with which you have crowned virtue throughout your whole life. How many good things will the book of Proverbs obtain for you, by teaching you both to cultivate true justice and to direct judgment?
11. What, then, besides these? "That it may give," he says, "subtlety to the innocent, and to the young man knowledge and understanding 27." We understand innocence in two ways. For D we either conceive of a certain alienation from sin, which is brought about by reason, and—the root of vice having been as it were cut out through long attention and the meditation of good things—we accept the name of innocence on account of its complete privation; or, innocence is said to exist when there is not yet experience of evil, since there are those who, often on account of childish age or the manner of some life, do not experience certain vices. For example, a child does not know pride, does not know guile and deceit. Again, there are some who, living in the country, do not know the deceits of merchants, nor the quarrels of the forum. Those who are such we call innocent; not as if by deliberate...
their own will, but because they have not yet experienced an evil habit. But the innocent man properly so called is such as David was, whose words these are: *I have walked in my innocence* (Ps. XXV, 11); he who had removed every iniquity from his soul by the exercise of virtue, and who is deemed worthy of the inheritance of the good. For *the Lord will not withhold good things from those who walk in innocence* (Ps. LXXXIII, 13). Whoever is of this kind will confidently say: *Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in my innocence* (Ps. XXV, 1); and again: *Judge me according to my righteousness, and according to my innocence upon me* (Ps. VII, 9).
The character of the innocent man consists in simplicity of conduct, nobility, and an unaffected nature. Such was Jacob: *Without guile*, he says, *dwelling in a house* (Gen. XXV, 27); that is, using his natural simplicity, not putting on himself any artificial appearance of character, as it were a mask, to deceive those he encounters. B Here, however, he seems to call "innocent" the man inexperienced in evil, who, he says, also has need of laudable craftiness, so that in addition to his natural integrity he may acquire prudence born of experience, and, being fortified by this good craftiness as with a certain weapon, may scarcely be overcome by the ambushes of his adversaries. For it is necessary, I think, for the perfect man to be prudent toward what is good, but artless toward what is evil. Hence, as from a fountain, let the innocent draw saving craftiness. *For the crafty man is the throne of perception* (Prov. XII, 23); and, *The crafty man, when evils come, has hidden himself* (Prov. XXVII, 12); and, *And he who guards against reproofs is craftier* (Prov. XV, 5).
Craftiness is, therefore, the activity of all things according to a technical practice, just as wickedness is the performance of evil alone. Since, therefore, the crafty person admits of every kind of work, and since among all things there are also base things, the name of "crafty" has a double meaning. The one who uses the ingenuity of his works for the injury of others is wicked; but the C praiseworthy crafty man is he who quickly and prudently finds his own good, and escapes the harms deceitfully and treacherously plotted against him by others. Observe, therefore, the term "craftiness" accurately; and know that it is a certain intermediate state, by which he who, from a sound intention, uses it for the benefit of himself and his neighbor is acceptable, while he who employs it for the injury of his neighbor is condemned, using his practice as an occasion for destruction.
12. The history of the use of either is full of instruction.
A Beautiful is the astuteness of the Hebrews, who, having outwitted the Egyptians, not only received the reward of their labor in the cities, but also acquired for themselves the materials for the building of the Tabernacle. Praiseworthy was the astuteness exercised by the midwives who saved the male children of the Hebrews. Beautiful is the astuteness of Rebecca, who procured a great blessing for her son. Rahab was beautifully astute, as was Rachel; the former by saving the spies, and the latter by outwitting her father and delivering him from idolatry. The Gibeonites, however, acted with wicked astuteness against the Israelites. The astuteness of Absalom was evil, for he enticed his subjects under the guise of fairness and gathered a multitude of rebels to plot against his father. Some are also accused of having employed an astute mindset against the people of God. B Here, however, the Word commends the astuteness that is employed for utility, as it is like armor for the affairs of life, and through itself strengthens the souls of the simpler ones. For if Eve had possessed this astuteness, she would not have been easily deceived by the wiles of the serpent. Therefore, this teaching fortifies and strengthens the innocent man—who, because he believes every word, is easily corrupted in his understanding—providing him with the utility of astuteness as a kind of alliance for the affairs of life.
13. It is next necessary to consider how *He gives sense and intelligence to the young child*. Since man is twofold, as the Apostle says, the one being exterior and the other interior, we must recognize that age is to be understood in the same way, both according to him who is perceived by sight and according to him who is understood in the hiddenness of the heart. C To say, however, that a newborn child receives sensory perception is almost laughable. For what sense could this book grant, when sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch are born with us immediately, and do not come from teaching, but through these senses nature perfects the living creature? Therefore, the "child" is not to be understood corporally, nor is any one of the senses enumerated, but the ages are to be taken as referring to the inner man. For we have learned in many places in Scripture that there is a certain childlike state of the soul, another that is vigorous, and another that is already aged. For example, as we have learned from Paul, the Corinthians were infants, D and therefore they still had need of milk—that is, the introductory and simpler teaching of the Gospel—since they were not yet able to digest the solid food of the dogmas. Now, he who is fully adorned in all aspects of virtue, who is fervent in spirit, who is...
A vigorous in the performance of acts of piety, and who flourishes in all the strength of good works—such a one is called "violent" by the Gospel, able to take the kingdom of heaven by force; and the Holy Spirit receives him as one suitable for singing hymns: "Young men," he says, "and virgins, let them praise the name of the Lord." And in Joel, there is a promise that young men shall have visions. An elder in soul, however, is one who is completed in prudence; such as was Daniel, who in a youthful body displayed a wisdom and gravity more venerable than any gray hair. Therefore, those men who were full of evil days said to him: "Come, sit in our midst, and announce to us what God has given you as the honor of old age." Thus, here too, he calls him a "new child" who has been reborn through the washing of regeneration, and nurtured, and has become like a little child, and by such a condition is B rendered fit for the kingdom of heaven. To the infant thus newly born, who longs for the rational and guileless milk, the book of Proverbs, through its own exercise, imparts sense and understanding: sense, indeed, regarding present things, but understanding regarding things to come. For it instructs us in human affairs, and makes us sensible of the nature of things, so that we neither serve shameful pleasures, nor are distracted by the vain glory of this world. It also produces an understanding of the age to come, and leads us forward through the things it says to the faith of those things which have been promised.
14. Since we have transferred the differences of ages to the inner man, it is consequent that we should also transfer the names of the senses to the powers of the soul. Thus, when he says: "Incline your ear to my words," we must know that he is seeking an obedient spirit, just as the Lord says: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear"; and that other: "A wise word to an obedient ear." C Through these and similar things, he gives to the new child the sense of hearing in a healthy state. And when he says: "Do not pay attention to a wicked woman"; and again: "Do not fix your eye upon her"; and: "Let your eyes look straight ahead"; it is clear that he is bestowing, as it were, the sight of the soul upon the child. And when he admonishes: "Eat honey, my son, so that your throat may be sweetened," (tropically calling divine teaching honey: "For how sweet," he says, "are your words to my throat, more than honey to my mouth"); by this admonition he perfects the spiritual taste of the soul, concerning which it has been D said: "Taste and see, that the Lord is good." Moreover, there is also a sense of touch in the soul, by which...
A wisdom touches her, as if embracing her own virtue. "Love her," he says, "so that she may embrace you." And again, the Ecclesiastes says: "A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing." Bodies, indeed, are defiled by impure embraces; but the soul, by the embrace of wisdom, being united to her wholly and entirely, is filled with holiness and purity. Thus, then, it bestows a sense upon the young lad. But how does it instill understanding? It is when it says: "Possessions will not profit in the day of evil." It casts into your heart a thought concerning that day in which an abundance of money will be of no help to you, B nor will it deliver you from eternal punishment. Or when it says: "But the innocent shall inherit the earth"; namely, that earth of which the meek are also heirs, both according to the Psalmist who says: "But the meek shall inherit the earth," and according to the beatitude proclaimed by the Lord: "Blessed," he says, "are the meek, for they themselves shall possess the earth," and again: "The wise shall inherit glory." Thus it stimulates the soul to desire the promised goods. This understanding it gives to the new lad: fear of the threats which are held out against sinners, and desire for those things which are prepared for the just. For hearing these things, the wise man will become wiser. Scripture attributes great power to the Proverbs, namely that they surpass the wisdom of the wise, C and that the teachings handed down in this book are greater than those which are found among the wise. Wherefore, while there are countless disciples of other masters, the auditors of this book are wise men. But since the name of "wise" is ambiguous (for both those of this world are called wise, and those who have received the true wisdom, our Lord Jesus Christ, through faith in Him, are called wise), the Scripture promises that those who are alien to our doctrine, when they have approached the sound teaching of the Proverbs, shall become wiser, so that having spurned the knowledge of vain things, they may transfer their admiration to the truth. Or because the "wise man" is spoken of in many ways (for both he who is possessed by the desire for wisdom, and he who is already progressing in the contemplation D of the things of wisdom, and he who is already perfect in that state are all called by the same name), when the wise man has heard these things, whether he be a lover of wisdom or one who has already made progress in it, they will be wiser; being taught many things concerning divine dogmas, and also being instructed in many things concerning human affairs, since this very book variously profligates vice and, in turn, introduces virtue in many ways. It bridles the wicked tongue, educates the eye that views evil things,>
A restrains wicked hands, drives away idleness, suppresses shameful desires, teaches prudence, teaches courage, and adorns temperance. Therefore, he who has been educated in these things, and who both holds a strong prejudice within himself against worse things and, as if by some inner whisper, has acquired a desire for the good with greater impetus, being wise by his own impulse, becomes yet wiser through the perfection that comes from instruction.
15. He who has understanding shall obtain rule. B For he who intends to take up an art must have a natural aptitude ready and prepared for exercising it: the wrestler must have a well-constituted and robust body; the runner, a symmetry of limbs and lightness; and, in the same way, the steersman requires an acuteness and sagacity of mind. For this reason, the Scripture calls not just anyone to rule, but the intelligent man. But what is rule, if not a knowledge and art of the soul concerning the unstable nature of human affairs, as to how it is fitting to traverse them? For in many places we find this life called waters and a sea by Scripture, as in the Psalm: He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. C For it is clear that he calls the turmoil of life "waters." For neither do the prosperous and much-sought-after things possess any steadiness or permanence for the many, nor have the adverse and sorrowful events of life been firmly established; but all things are subject to a certain surging, tossing, and unexpected change. Just as, therefore, there is no sea so immeasurable that it can long remain the same (for what you see now as calm and stable, a little later you shall behold rendered rough by the violence of the winds; and conversely, the sea which is raging and boiling with waves, a deep calm quickly settles), so, too, do the affairs of life easily take turns in either direction. For this reason, there is need of a steersman, so that even when the life D is calm and all things are proceeding favorably for him, he may expect changes, and not rest upon the present as if it were to last forever, nor, in a more dismal state, despair of himself, nor be swallowed up by excessive sorrow and carried away as if submerged. For neither does the health of the body, nor the flower of youth, nor the prosperity of a household, nor the remaining felicity of life last for long; but if you are in this fair weather of life, expect also at some point the winter of affairs. For sickness will come, and poverty will come; the wind does not always blow from the stern. But even the man who is visible to all and enviable is often overtaken by unexpected disgraces; and like certain reefs, unwelcome circumstances have disturbed all the felicity of life.
[...], just as waves are for you, one after another rising up and churning your life, A surrounding you with a fearful storm in your life. You will see at some time that these too have passed by, and your life transformed into cheerfulness and a truly bright calm. This, therefore, is the intelligent helmsman, who with due regard for the underlying nature manages what occurs, and who remains always the same to himself, neither uplifted in times of prosperity nor cast down in afflictions.
Again, the benefit of helmsmanship is useful to us for other ends as well. For I know of other waves and a fearful storm rising up against the soul, namely the storm that arises from the passions of the flesh. For angers and fears, and pleasures, and B griefs, bursting forth like some violent whirlwind from the disposition of the flesh, have often sunk a soul that lacks a helmsman. It is necessary, therefore, for the mind, sitting like some helmsman above the passions, and boarding as it were the ship of the flesh, and skillfully turning the thoughts like rudders, to trample the waves bravely, and remaining on high, and being inaccessible to the passions, in no way to be filled with their bitterness like some brine, but always to pray, saying: *Deliver me from those who hate me, and from the deep waters. Let not the storm of water overwhelm me, nor the abyss swallow me up*.
16. Do you wish me to recount to you another voyage, to which the gift of helmsmanship is necessary for us? *The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant* C *man*. All of us, therefore, who walk the evangelical way are merchants, trading by the practice of the commandments for the possession of heavenly things for ourselves. We must, therefore, gather much and varied heavenly wealth, if we are not to be put to shame in the demonstration of our work, like those who received the talents, nor hear: *Thou wicked and slothful servant*. But having taken on the cargo, we must endeavor to pass through this life in safety. For many who have gathered much from their youth, when they have reached about the middle of life, with the spirits of wickedness raising up temptations against them, have not borne the burden of the storm, D as they were destitute of helmsmanship, but have suffered the loss of all those things. Hence, some have made *shipwreck concerning the faith*, others, through a corrupt pleasure bearing down upon them like some unexpected storm, have suffered loss. Wherefore some have Concerning the faith... others, [the] temperance which they gathered from [their] youth, like some unexpected storm...
have lost it. A A miserable spectacle: that one after fasting, after a hard mode of life, after prolonged prayers, after tears copiously shed, after the continence of twenty or perhaps even thirty years, should, through the thoughtlessness and negligence of his soul, be found stripped and despoiled of all. Again, compare him who is wealthy in the gain of the commandments to some very rich merchant, who, rejoicing in the abundance of his goods, with the ship sailing under a favorable wind, having traversed dreadful seas, was, when his ship was shattered at the very ports, suddenly exposed as destitute of everything; for this man also lost the goods acquired by many labors and sweats in a single assault of the demon, having been engulfed in sin as if by a wild tempest. A fitting cry for one who has lost all his virtue at once in a shipwreck: “I have come into the depths of the sea, and the tempest has engulfed me.”
17. B Secure carefully, then, the rudders of your life; steer your eye, lest at any time a violent wave of lust come rushing in upon you through the eyes; [steer] your hearing, your tongue, lest you receive anything harmful, or speak any of the things that are forbidden. Let not the surging of anger overturn you; let not the shocks of fears overwhelm you; let not the burden of sorrow drown you. The passions are waves, and if you keep yourself above them, you will be a secure pilot of your life. But if you do not skillfully and steadily steer clear of each of these, like a ship without ballast, tossed about by the events that are always befalling it, you will vanish in the sea of sin. Hear, therefore, how the skill of governing might also come to you. C It is a custom for those navigating to look up to heaven and thence to take the guidance of the voyage, by day indeed from the sun, but by night from the Bear, or some other of the ever-visible stars, and by these always to conjecture the straight course. Do you, therefore, also have your eye fixed upon heaven, according to him who said: “I have lifted up my eyes to thee, who dwellest in heaven.” Look upon the Sun of Justice, and being guided by the commandments of the Lord, like certain brilliant stars, keep an unsleeping eye, not giving sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids, so that you may have the lasting guidance from the commandments. “For thy law,” he says, “is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths.” D For if you never nod at the tiller, while you are in this life, in the unstable nature of the things of the world, you will obtain the help of the Spirit, who will lead you further on and will safely transport you with gentle and peaceful breezes, until, unharmed
you reach that calm and tranquil harbor of the will of God; to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.
HOMILY XIII. Exhortation to the holy baptism.
1. That wise Solomon, who distinguished the times for the things that are to be done in life, and assigned to each of the things that happen its proper time, said: "For everything there is a time, and a time for every matter: a time to be born, and a time to die" (Eccles. III, 1, 2). I, however, having slightly altered the statement of the wise man A, would say to you while proclaiming the saving message, that today it is the time to die and the time to be born. What is the reason for this exchange? Because he, discoursing about things that are in generation and decay, and following the physical nature, placed birth before death (for it is impossible for one who has not been born first to experience death). I, however, being about to speak of spiritual regeneration, place death before life. For by dying in the flesh it comes about for us to be born in the spirit, as the Lord also says: "I will kill, and I will make to live" (Deut. XXXII, 39). Let us die, therefore, that we may live. Let us put to death the "mind of the flesh" (Rom. VIII, 7), which is not able to be subject to the law of God, so that the mind of the Spirit may be B powerfully born in us, from which life and peace are wont to arise. Let us be buried with Christ, who died for us, that we may also rise together with Him who procured for us our resurrection.
Now one time is suitable for one thing and another for another: there is a time for sleep, and a time for waking; a time for war, and a time for peace; but the time for baptism is the whole of men’s lives. For neither can a body live if it does not breathe, nor can a soul subsist if it does not know its Creator. For the ignorance of God is the death of the soul. Moreover, he who is not baptized is not illuminated. And without light, C neither does the eye see the things that are its own, nor can the soul contemplate God. Therefore every time is opportune for obtaining salvation through baptism: whether you name the night, or the day, or an hour, or a point of time, or anything whatsoever of the shortest duration. It is, however, fitting to believe that that time is more opportune which is more proper and more closely akin.
What, moreover, can have a greater affinity with baptism than the day of Pascha? For this day is a memorial of the resurrection, and baptism is the power and faculty for D