MONITION
Savile and Fronto Ducaeus rightly held the following homily to be spurious. It possesses nothing that savors of Chrysostom. The style is entirely foreign to his manner of speaking. Yet, upon frequent reading of it, I seemed to myself to be reading Eusebius of Caesarea; for this reason, I consulted his Commentary on the Psalms and discovered that this homily—if indeed it can truly be called a homily—is nothing other than the Commentary of Eusebius on this Psalm, and indeed almost always word for word, with only a few things added here and there.
ON PSALM LI
A 4. *To the end, for understanding, to David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him: David is come into the house of Abimelech.* B Why dost thou glory in malice, thou that art mighty? All the day hath thy tongue devised injustice; as a sharpened razor, thou hast wrought deceit. Thou hast loved malice more than goodness; and iniquity rather than to speak righteousness. Thou hast loved all the words of ruin, O deceitful tongue.
1. The fifty-first Psalm was spoken by David C when he changed his countenance before Abimelech, and he let him go, and he departed (Ps. 33:1). And this one follows it according to the history. For the Book of Kings says: *And there was one of the servants of Saul there on that day* (1 Kings 21:7). It signifies the time when David came into the house of Abimelech and ate the loaves of proposition, having taken them from the high priest, when he also changed his countenance before Abimelech, and he let him go, and he departed. For at that very time, it says, there was there one of the servants of Saul, Doeg the Syrian, grazing the mules of Saul, who afterwards came to Saul and said: I have seen the son of Jesse coming to Nob to Abimelech the son of Achitob the priest. And he asked of him by God, and gave him provisions; and the sword of Goliath the Philistine he gave him. And the king sent to call Abimelech the priest, and all the sons of his father, the priests of the Lord who were in Nob, and they all came to the king; when also, at the command of Saul, that same Doeg D slew the priests of the Lord, three hundred and five men bearing the ephod; and he smote Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, from man to woman, from infant to suckling, and calf, and ass, and sheep with the edge of the sword.
Having learned that David had done these things in this manner, he brings forth the words set before us, which contain neither ode, nor hymn, nor psalm, nor anything of the sort. For how was it possible for him to sing odes and psalms upon the calamity of such priests? Wherefore nothing of the sort is inscribed; but only *To the end*, it is said, and *For understanding*, since the final words are indicative of good things, in which he says: *But I, as a fruitful olive tree in the house of God, have hoped in the mercy of God for ever and ever* (v. 10). And the understanding of the words set forth here stands in need of that which is from God.
When he was with Abimelech and had departed from the priestly food, having changed his taste—or, according to the interpretation of others, his manner—he sent up blessings and thanksgivings to God, saying: *I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth*, and what follows. But now, when he knew of the action of the devil Doeg, and how he slew so many priests by using a diabolical work, he composes the words set before us to him, saying: *Why dost thou glory in malice, thou that art mighty? All the day hath thy tongue... thy tongue hath devised injustice.*
The things handled here were spoken long before the times of the history of the fiftieth Psalm. For while Saul was still living, and even before David reigned, these things had both been done and said; but many long years later, after the death of Saul, and towards the end of his own reign, David makes the confession in the fiftieth, which he placed first because of the sequence with the forty-ninth Psalm, as has been demonstrated.
But the twenty [Psalms] ascribed to David from the fifty-first to the seventieth have received their subject matter from another beginning. They seem therefore to have been spoken while Saul was still living, before David reigned. For this one in hand was spoken while Saul was still living: *When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul that David had come into the house of Abimelech.* But also the fifty-third, *When the Ziphites came and said to Saul: Behold, is not David hidden with us?* was so spoken. And the fifty-fifth, *when the Philistines held him in Geth*, is so inscribed. And this time itself was before the reign of David, while Saul was still living in the body. And the fifty-sixth is inscribed: *To David, when he fled from the face of Saul into the cave.* Likewise also the fifty-eighth. When, he says, Saul sent and I watched his house to slay him. Yet the fifty-ninth, even if it were spoken after the death of Saul, when David was already reigning, is nevertheless itself prior to the affair concerning Uriah; which is indeed signified by the inscription, which reveals the time, saying: *When he burned Mesopotamia of Syria, and Syria of Sobal, and Joab returned and smote the valley of salt, twelve thousand.* These things precede in time the confession in the fiftieth Psalm. Moreover, the sixty-second Psalm was spoken by David, *When he was in the wilderness of Judea*, while Saul was still living. And observe how almost the greater part of the second section of the Book of Psalms of David, with the exception of the fiftieth, has contained those things spoken by him long ago before the times of the affair concerning Uriah. The first part [of] the same book, from the first up to the fortieth, had the opposite order. For that section contained the things after the confession of the fiftieth. The third Psalm, therefore, was spoken by David, *When he fled from the face of Absalom his son*; and he fled from his son after the story of Uriah.
A
The seventh also, when it was spoken concerning the words of Cush the son of Jemini, looked indeed to the same times. For Cush, who was a chief friend to David, was with Absalom (2 Reg. 15. 32). Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the seventeenth Psalm was spoken at the end of David’s life. But also the thirty-seventh, which is inscribed, *For remembrance*, having the same sentiment as the sixth, begins with the same words, saying: *O Lord, rebuke me not in thy fury, nor chastise me in thy wrath*; and proceeding forward, it utters the same confession as that which is held in the fiftieth, both in other words, and especially when it says, *For my iniquities have gone over my head; my wounds have stunk and are corrupt because of my foolishness* (v. 5, 6). And you yourself also, by gathering it together, will find that most of those things which are contained in the first part of the Psalms were said after the history of Uriah; and on the contrary, that those things which follow the fiftieth Psalm precede that deed against Uriah in time.
Why David did not follow the order of time
Why then, as the series of times demanded, were those who are first in time not placed first, and likewise the later ones later, but rather the former—which were spoken while Saul was still living—were placed in the second part of the Psalms, and on the contrary, those which are later in time were placed in the first part? In my opinion, they were placed in this order for this reason: that one might not be carried from better things to worse. For there are very few. *Unto the end, destroy not* (Ps. 56. 1, and 71. 1). Wherefore, the sadder things were placed first, that the more joyful things might be reserved for the second place, the worse things being, as it were, covered and extinguished, owing to the more joyful things that follow thereafter. B It is likely, however, that David wished to cover his subsequent sin by those things which were done by him previously. And it may also be said that, because of his singular piety, he placed the confessions first, since *the just man is his own accuser in the beginning of his discourse* (Prov. 18. 17). But these things concerning the order of the Psalms and the reason for it having been brought forward by me, it is now time that we proceed to explain the voices of the fifty-first Psalm. C
He committed these words to letters, therefore, after he found out what Doeg the Syrian had designed through those calumnies which he had stirred up against him. Therefore, he directs his speech as it were toward him, saying: *Why boastest thou in malice, O thou that art mighty?* He who is weak and feeble and small in vice, with good morals abounding in him, is, as it were, weaker in vice, and is affected with shame when he sins; and, being agitated by the goads of conscience, he may perhaps repent and, through confession and sincere penance, devise remedies for his vice. But he who is mighty in wickedness prides himself in it and boasts, as if glorying in some distinguished and excellent deed. And to me, the present discourse seems to describe manners contrary to those who were commemorated in the fiftieth Psalm. For in that one, he who had once fallen into sin was led by repentance and macerated himself, confessing his own crime and pursuing his own evils with mourning; but this one, as being mighty in wickedness, does not even heed external reproofs, but rather, as if he were practicing virtue, he is pleased with his vice, and boasts—so affected that he has wiped away all shame regarding those things which his conscience objects to him. D Then also, *all the day hath thy tongue devised injustice*. Or, as Symmachus translates, *Each day*. But also he carries the thoughts of wickedness on his tongue, not hiding them in the inner storehouses of the soul, but exposing them to all who hear. Whence it was also said, *Thy tongue hath devised injustice*. Of this kind are they who, without any fear and without any covering of words, speak shameful things, or rashly utter impious words, or use various lies and perjuries, or finally openly bring forth calumnies against others. Such also was Doeg, as one who had constructed so many calumnies against David and Abimelech. And indeed, he who is mighty in wickedness carries impious thoughts on his tongue, whereas he who is inferior in vice, although he may have thoughts that are by no means pure, yet he hides them and, as much as he is able, endeavors to extinguish and destroy them within himself. And furthermore, he who is mighty in wickedness, *like a sharp razor, hath wrought deceit*, as one who might lead into fraud with very soft words him to whom snares are being prepared, while secretly setting his mind upon his destruction. This also Doeg the Syrian was doing, as one who was indeed present then in the city of the priests, when David had betaken himself to Abimelech, but craftily observed those things which were being done; and he said nothing openly then, nay, perhaps he even feigned friendship toward David and the priests, but afterwards showed who he was, and vomited forth the fraud which he was hiding in himself like a poison. The same man, moreover, with two things proposed, namely injustice and probity, when he ought to have chosen the more excellent, valued injustice more; and when he could have been in probity, he embraced injustice instead. For he was acting unjustly when he calumniated the priest and commemorated those things which had by no means been done. For that he had consulted God for David’s sake was false. For Scripture witnessed nothing of this kind. Yet it was permitted to him to speak justice also, by instructing Saul that the priest did not have the least knowledge of the cause for which David was withdrawing, but rather that he took him in kindly as a friend of the king, and for the sake of the honor of him who had sent him for some royal business. Nor indeed was he giving him provisions; for there were no loaves at hand for him, with which David could be provided as if with some ration. For the priest answered David this also in these words: *There are no common loaves here, but only the loaves of proposition* (1 Reg. 21. 4). And he, in his piety and necessity, goes beyond that which was decreed by the laws, sharing the loaves of proposition with him as if with a good and holy man. He would surely have spoken justice if he had wished; but he, using false calumnies, *loved injustice more than to speak equity*. And furthermore, *he hath loved all the words of ruin, a deceitful tongue*. For he perpetrated all things which looked to the snares and to the slaughter of the priest as well as of all the others who were affected with death with him. Wherefore, *the words of ruin* are called the speeches of Doeg. For he submerged the entire city of the priests through his words, as if into the deep. But these things, indeed, not Doeg alone, but also anyone who is mighty in iniquity will have perpetrated, freely abusing the power of vice. But what punishment follows him from the divine judgment is shown next in these words: *7. Therefore will God destroy thee for ever, he will pluck thee out, and remove thee from thy tabernacle, and thy root out of the land of the living. Diapsalma. 8. The just shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him and say: Behold the man that made not God his helper, but trusted in the multitude of his riches, and prevailed in his vanity*.
The calumniator destroys not only bodies but also souls. Just as the herald of truth provides the cause of salvation to numberless men by his speech, in the same way he also, who is mighty in iniquity, brings death and ruin to many by the same power of speech, uttering words of ruin and abusing the sword of speech for the destruction of men; and especially when, through his calumnies, he destroys not only bodies but even souls themselves, namely, by casting them down into false and impious opinions through his fraudulent tongue. Whence it was said in a certain place: *The sons of men, whose teeth are weapons and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword* (Ps. 56. 5). These, indeed, are to be guarded against with greater zeal and diligence than those who act wickedly in inflicting calamities. Of whose number, obviously, was Doeg, when, using false speech and calumny, he slaughtered the priests of God. But what punishment will follow him from heaven, the present discourse teaches, speaking as if to him who is mighty in iniquity: *Therefore will God destroy thee for ever*. Since he has loved wickedness, for that reason, God will first destroy him from his pride and his great exaltation, and instead of an exalted one, will make him humble, so that he may no longer boast in wickedness; then, *he will remove thee from thy tabernacle, and thy root out of the land of the living*. According to Symmachus,
you will be humbled, he says, and be plucked from your tent, and will be rooted out from the land of the living forever; so that the just, seeing, may fear and laugh at him, saying: Behold the man who did not set God as his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth, and strengthened himself in his calamity. These things are said as against Doeg, who was a Syrian by birth but conversed in the midst of Israel, and perhaps even came alongside the multitude into the city of God, pretending to be godly. It is said also against everyone who is powerful in wickedness, using his tongue instead of a sword for the destruction of souls; whom, as a bitter and harmful root, the Cultivator of souls will pluck out, even if he should appear for a short while to be planted in the tent of God and in His Church. B Once such a person is pruned and cast far from the tent of the saints, he will lie as a pitiful spectacle for the benefit and discipline of those who see him, who, contemplating the sharp judgment of God against such a one with their eyes, will be in agony and will take care not to fall into the same. Then, bringing to mind the former arrogance of the one powerful in wickedness, his height and his pride, and seeing also the humiliation and destruction that afterward overtook him, they will deem him worthy of laughter, beholding from what point he has fallen into what kind of evils; they will accept God’s judgment, confessing it to be just. 4. Then they will also trace the causes for which the impious one has suffered these things, justifying the judgment of God. For it is necessary not to be high-minded regarding wealth, nor to be puffed up by the vanity of the present life, but to set God alone as one's hope and helper, and to rely upon this hope; but he, having abandoned the good hope of his own salvation and having suspended his hopes upon vain wealth, has obtained nothing more than to be mocked for his vain and foolish arrogance. *I, however, like a fruit-bearing olive tree in the house of God, have hoped in the mercy of God forever and unto the age of ages. I will confess to Thee forever, because Thou hast made it, and I will wait upon Thy name, for it is good before Thy saints.* We have learned through what has been said what kind of end the one C powerful in wickedness will meet. But I, says David, having been instructed in these things by the Holy Spirit, will never be puffed up by an abundance of passing wealth, nor by the vanity of mortal life (for *vanity of vanities, all is vanity*), but rather, fleeing the way of the one powerful in wickedness, I will not sharpen my own tongue and my words for the destruction of others, but for the benefit of souls; I will be like a *fruit-bearing olive tree*, for the salvation of such ones. And regarding my other deeds, I would thus become flourishing and fruit-bearing, so that my soul might be compared to an evergreen and fruit-bearing plant, planted in the house of God. Therefore I say, *I, however, like a fruit-bearing olive tree in the house of God.* Or, according to Symmachus, *I, however, like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God.* For he was not leaning away from the house of God, but was planted within it, as in the husbandry of God, and enjoying the streams of the fountain in the house of God, I became fruit-bearing and flourishing, according to the example of the olive plant, which is reckoned among the evergreen things. Observe, however, that David, saying these things, was not even in Jerusalem, which the children of the Jews supposed to be the house of God; for it had not [yet] been built, nor was he even in the tent constructed by Moses, which was still in existence among the Jews at that time; for while fleeing Saul, he was spending his time among others. Nevertheless, he did not fail to know that he was planted in the house of God, considering the godly commonwealth to be the house of God. And because he was fruit-bearing, and not barren, nor bearing bitter fruits, but sweet and full of much love for mankind, he was reasonably compared to the olive plant, which signifies the love for mankind of the example toward his neighbors and toward all. As one abounding in such good things, he consequently adds: *He hoped in the mercy of God forever and unto the age of ages.* For he showed the end of the one powerful in wickedness to be rooting out and disappearance for him; for the Wise Cultivator of all to pluck out the root that produced bitter fruits. But he, *like a fruit-bearing olive tree in the house of God*, has hoped in the mercy of God forever and unto the age of ages, procuring immortality and eternal life from the good hope, from which he will never fell. For *hope*, according to the Apostle, *does not disappoint*. D Then, having sketched out for himself good hopes as regarding good things, he attaches the cause to the Giver of all good things: *I will confess to Thee forever, because Thou hast made it.* For not I, he says, made myself like a fruit-bearing olive tree, but Thou didst make it. For from Thee is the grace. Wherefore I will never cease giving thanks to Thee and confessing to Thee; and having once hoped in the mercy of God, I will wait upon His name. For with the good hope lying underneath, there is need for patience for us. Therefore, *I will wait upon Thy name*, he says, *for it is good before Thy saints*, or, according to Symmachus: *For Thy name is good before Thy saints.* Knowing, therefore, that it is good, and productive of good things, not for those powerful in wickedness, nor for the outcasts of the living, but for Thy saints, I reasonably *wait upon Thy name*, being hopeful of never falling away from Thy mercy. Thus, therefore, I have hoped in Him forever and unto the age of ages, by the grace and love for mankind of Christ our God who manages all things for what is profitable, to whom is the glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
BY THE SAME AUTHOR: ORATION ON THE TEXT: VOW, AND RENDER UNTO THE LORD OUR GOD
The teachers of this world lead their children to the knowledge of letters; whereas the teachers of the Church instruct their disciples unto the perfection of good works. And it is possible, beloved, to learn accurately from the things recently made known to us in the Psalm the common and most reliable truth of what was said. For what did the prophet of the Spirit, the great-writer David, say now? *Vow, and render...*
to the Lord our God.* A Just as blessed Judith, when the Babylonian Holofernes with his army was besieging Jerusalem and had diverted all the city’s aqueducts, while the Hebrews—consumed by thirst—were already prepared to surrender themselves and their city to him who had imposed such necessity upon them, went out; as that blessed woman, endowed with manly judgment and faithful intent, was preventing the surrender of the city, and while preparing herself to engage in battle with so great an army, and to avenge her own people, and to save the city, having faith in God and bracing her body’s strength to undertake war against the enemies, said to the priests and to all the faithful people: *Vow, and render to the Lord our God.*
Having gone out of the city at the arrival of evening with one serving maid, having taken with her food to a certain measure, supported by faith (for she did not wish to use the food of the Gentiles, being a Judean and prohibited by the law), B and approaching Holofernes as if she were a deserter, in clean clothing and with womanly adornment, she made the foreigner captive to the desire for her; yet she kept herself inviolate, for she was not defiled because of her continence. For at night, while the army was sleeping and Holofernes was overwhelmed and buried by the abundance of wine, having confidently taken his two-edged sword, she cut off his head, with God evidently strengthening the young woman's right hand. On that very night in which she performed this valiant deed, she returned as victor into the city, and by hanging his head from the wall, she displayed him in triumph to all the foreigners—so much so that on the following day, when these saw their army commander killed by a single woman, they fled, struck with great fear and trembling from the face of the Hebrews, and that which is written was fulfilled: *How shall one pursue a thousand, and two put to flight ten thousand* (Deut. 32:30)? C For it is discovered that the most valiant Samson alone put to flight a thousand men, but the most valiant Judith with her serving maid routed myriads of foreigners. Do you see how great a good it is to vow, and to render to the Lord our God?
Hezekiah the king, being a faithful man and relying on faith more than on arms and exercises, overcame his enemies beyond expectation. Surely when Sennacherib with a huge number of barbarians was breaking in, besieging Jerusalem, and heaping insults upon God and those who believed in Him, and when Sennacherib himself had sent insults written against God and against him, Hezekiah took the scroll and, having read it in the sight of God, prayed and rendered to the Lord our God; from whence he was immediately delivered from the impending danger, so suddenly and miraculously did he obtain God's aid. For one angel of the heavens in the night, descending with a sword, slew one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the foreigners, with no one among them able to withstand the onset of his right hand, so that the nations of the foreigners might learn that one should not sharpen a blasphemous tongue against God. Such a good thing it is, beloved, to vow and render to the Lord our God. D David the most wise, when under King Saul of Israel the foreigners had moved their army against the Israelite race and had sent forward a single man challenging them to single combat, a giant in body, in judgment of mind exceeding a giant, speaking great things and promising great things—this was Goliath by name, whose stature the Hebrews, seeing, were held back by much fear and dread, avoiding the conflict of battle; yet when the sagacious David knew that the mass of body and the array of arms and horses are of no value for victory (for *The king is not saved by much strength, and the giant will not be saved by the multitude of his courage: a horse is a cheat for salvation; and in the abundance of his strength he shall not be saved* [Ps. 32:16]), having taken five stones, a symbol of the Pentateuch given to them by God, that little, younger one—who was held in contempt by his own and by the foreigners—with one cast of a stone striking him in the forehead, brought the proud giant down prone. And it is, beloved, worthy of inquiry why Goliath, when struck in the forehead, did not fall backward, but fell upon his face. Certainly it is manifest that the matter is to be understood by us in this way: that an angel indeed stood behind the enemy of God and threw him down prone upon his face. Thus it is good to pray and render to our God.
Moses the blessed, when he led them out from Egypt, came to the currents of the Red Sea, with the Egyptians forcefully rushing upon them in great numbers, and the Hebrews being unable to resist in battle nor to procure their own safety by flight: for before them was the very wide sea which prevented flight, and behind them was the dark host of the Egyptians bringing dread with their swords. And as much as the Hebrews had been glad when thinking on the things done before, so much were they seized with terror seeing Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and they were agitated by anxieties just as the sea is agitated when strong winds blow in, A so that in the magnitude of their fear they even dared to say to Moses: "Do you see to what an end things have been brought, and how fear has occupied our minds? For they are already threatening that we are to be food for the birds, knowing that we have been reduced to the extreme and our affairs are completely desperate. Why do you hesitate, Moses? It would have been better for us to die in Egypt than to have come out here and see our infants, our wives, and ourselves given as food and prey to the birds and the wild beasts of the earth." For in these things especially does Pharaoh believe and is full of sorrow, [alt-version omitted] and as if he held authority and power in his hands, he boasts and speaks audaciously against God Himself. Then what does Moses say to them? "Do not fear, do not be afraid: *Vow and render to the Lord our God* (Exodus 14:13), and you shall see the help of God brought to you. The Lord will fight for us, but you shall hold your peace." When such a prayer was sent forth to God, immediately the humid sea was turned into dry land, and prepared a free passage for them. And it was possible to see, beloved, a wondrous spectacle: that sea which once foamed and roared, now split; and there stood a watery wall, blue, dark-hued, firm, fortifying Israel on both sides. And for as long did the water swell suspended, as long as Israel, like some man walking quietly and at a slow pace, was in the breadth of the sea. And they indeed were walking through as if upon a grassy meadow; but their enemies the Egyptians were drowned in the sea like lead. So good it is to pray and render to the Lord our God.
But were they not in the desert to experience a shortage of water and bread? For how were they not to suffer from a lack of bread and water in the desert, where there is no field, no vineyard, no tree, no grass, no seed, no harvest? But holy prayer opened the heavens to them so that it might give manna, and the air so that it might provide meat, and the rock so that from the precipice it might supply water channels. For they had the ministry of these three elements: heaven, air, and rock. For the heaven sent down upon them water of the color of snow, and the air produced for them the fat quail without toil. The day would fail me if I wished to narrate the victories brought back by the fathers, the prophets, and the kings, and the good outcomes obtained—beyond expectation—in illnesses, dangers, and other most grievous matters through prayer. Such a great thing, indeed, is it to pray and render to the Lord our God. If any of you should find himself in some business deemed desperate by men, or is pressed by necessity or danger, let him remember this Scripture: let him pray and render to the Lord our God, and he will find the vivifying and blessed end of the good doctrine. If, however, anyone wishes, beloved, to accept this verse of Scripture in another way and to say that to "vow" is the same as to "promise," thus also the discourse will be useful. For we often find in Scripture "to vow" used for "to promise"; as Wisdom says: *It is better not to vow than after vows not to render* (Eccle. 5:4); that is, it is better not to promise God than not to stand by one's promises. Therefore it commands: "And you shall not lie concerning a word in the time of your prayer." Have you vowed that if you receive your daughter or son snatched from a grave illness and healthy, you will consecrate them to God?
ADMONITION TO THE HOMILY ON THE TURTLEDOVE
This homily of the Greeks is indeed a spurious work, and is found in ancient manuscripts as belonging to an ancient author. For the Latin interpretation of it is found in old manuscripts; but as we have learned by experience, the Latin works of Chrysostom are in no way authentic, and are moreover spurious and of no value. We have corrected that version in many places.
"It is better that you should not make a vow, than that having made a vow you should not pay it"—that is: it is better not to promise God anything, than to promise and then lie. Therefore, it commands: "And do not lie to your word in the time of your prayer." Did you vow that your daughter or your son should be restored from a severe illness and be dedicated to God? Do not lie to your word in the time of your prayer. B But as the blessed Anna, being barren before, prayed that if she should bear a child she would dedicate him to God, and having done this she became an heir of eternal blessing; and her son Samuel was reckoned as the first and chosen among the prophets, and was so honored by God that he was ranked after Moses and Aaron: for "Moses and Aaron were among his priests, and Samuel among those who call upon his name" (Ps. 98:6). First, it is good to vow—that is, to make a promise—and then to fulfill it quickly with a joyful and good disposition. For "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7). C Thus Abel pleased God, because he brought his gifts to God with a joyful and good disposition; but Cain displeased God, because he did not offer his gifts to God with a joyful heart, but as if from sorrow and necessity, being grieved at his brother’s good reputation. And having stirred up the spark of envy in his heart, he burned with the desire for murder, whereas he ought to have imitated his brother's God-loving mind, so as to receive an equal reward from the Lord as his brother did. But now, neither regarding his own kin and blood, nor considering that God was watching his lawless deed, he lured the young man into the field with deceitful words, and destroyed the beautiful work of God with murder. D He was the first to commit fratricide, the first to stain the earth with blood, the first to open the gates of death. For death had not yet tasted a human, had not Cain through envy birthed murder. For what did Abel's life harm you, Cain? Or what did his death profit you? Or did it not rather harm you? For behold, you finished your life with an unstable mind and trembling.
3. O envy, brother of hypocrisy, creator of deceit, sower of murder, serpentine seed, death-breathing flower. What is more foul than envy? Nothing. And what birthed death? Nothing else but envy, as Scripture testifies to me saying that "God did not make death, nor does he delight in the destruction of the living; but by the envy of the devil, death entered the world" (Wis. 1:13; 2:24). It seems to me, beloved, that envy is an invention of the dragon; and it is impossible for anyone to have envy unless the serpent draws near to someone secretly, and having vomited the poison from his own heart, casts the envy into the heart of the one receiving it. For thus the envious man ends up in the same rank and power as the serpent. Have you seen the envious man? Have you seen the serpent? He speaks to you of his own affairs as a friend, B and learns yours from you as an enemy. The serpent approaches Eve as a friend, bewitching her with sweet words but trapping her with bitter thoughts; carrying honey on his lips, hiding a sword in his heart, inclining his head elsewhere, and wagging his tail elsewhere. Cain approaches Abel as a friend; he speaks peaceably but contemplates hostile things; deceit was borne upon his lips, and envy was shadowed in his heart. The envious man approaches you; he speaks to you of his own affairs, and with deceitful words and lukewarm laughter talking with you, he makes your face joyful and opens your mind, so that he may empty out the hidden treasure of your thoughts. C He learns your mysteries by speaking, and offers your secrets to everyone. And if you flatter him, he no longer endures it, he no longer laughs, he no longer relaxes his face with a smile, but he stands sternly accusing, and stays motionless until he sees your disgrace; and then he will laugh. If anything is spoken against you at a banquet, he opens his ears. Well done. If anything is spoken in your favor, he injects other words and obscures the mind of the listeners, so that what is said about you does not bring you glory even when you are absent. What is more wicked than the envious man? Nothing. Among what beasts shall such a man be ranked? If you compare him to a lion or a leopard, D you will find the wicked in the envious. For every animal loves its own likeness; but the envious man hates his brother, and kills him. The ravens fed Elijah on the mountain, and the brothers of Joseph, selling him through envy, ate. The serpent deceived Eve through envy, and Cain murdered Abel through envy. The sea monster played host to Jonah in the sea, but Saul pursued David through envy. The lions respected Daniel, but the Jews crucified Christ through envy. Asps are tamed by being flattered, but the envious are more inflamed when they are treated well. But so that we might not seem, beloved, to be trifling too much and going outside of what was just read, let us return to the matter at hand. Pray also, you who are envied, that you may not suffer anything incurable from those who envy you, nor fall into the same disease. For "he who thinks he stands, let him take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12). Pray also, you who envy, that having vomited out the dragon, you may receive the heavenly bread in the pure witness of your conscience. Pray and pay your vows to the Lord our God. Great is the power of prayer, beloved, making impossible things possible for men. Moses prayed, and he dried the sea, and led the Hebrews through as if through a grassy field. Joshua the son of Nun prayed, and blocked the Jordan’s currents, and what is written was fulfilled: "What is it to you, O sea, that you fled, and you, O Jordan, that you turned back?" (Ps. 113:5). Elijah the charioteer prayed, and he bridled the rain-bearing clouds, and again opened them through prayer. The same Elijah prayed, and gave the poor woman flour and oil measured out every day. His disciple Elisha prayed, and the Shunammite, being barren before, bore a child beyond hope. Daniel prayed, and overthrew Bel, and killed the dragon, and led the lions to take reverence for heaven. The three children prayed in the furnace, and the bubbling flame of the furnace was quenched. Hezekiah prayed, and having healed his own illness he undid death, and received fifteen years of life. Jonah prayed, and tamed the sea monster, and taught it to host him for three days, so that it might be shown that for the saints, hospitality is found even in the depths of the sea. The most pious Tobias, being blind, prayed, and received light from the hand of an angel. Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, prayed in Ecbatana, and put the man-killing demon to flight. Silas and Paul prayed while in prison, and the earth shook, the doors of the prison were opened, the iron chains of the bonds fell off, and all who were guilty of bonds were shown to be free. Peter prayed, and raised Tabitha from the dead. The same Peter prayed in Rome, and brought Simon down from the air as he was flying, and no longer allowed him to mock the Romans. Prayer raises the dead, puts demons to flight, heals illnesses, dissolves deaths. O prayer, dispenser of life, treasure of health, hope-bearing flower! Pray, therefore, you also, beloved, and pay your vows to the Lord our God; for to him belongs all glory, for ever and ever. Amen.