Section LXXXIII

For the Lord, to use the words of Macarius the Egyptian¹,

is borne toward men with great benignity and is touched with inward mercy if at any time we turn wholly to him, withdrawing ourselves from all things that are contrary. For although through the greatest ignorance, infancy, and an opinion preconceived from malice we turn away from the true life and place many impediments before ourselves, being in reality unwilling to return to wisdom, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸς πολὺ σπλαγχνίζεται ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς μακροθυμῶν, πότε ἐπιστρέψαντες προσέλθωμεν πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ τὸν ἔσω ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπον φωτισθῶμεν, ἵνα μὴ καταισχυνθῶσι τὰ πρόσωπα ἡμῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως, he himself nevertheless has great mercy upon us, waiting with long-suffering until, having been converted, we approach him and are illuminated as regards our inward man, lest our faces be confounded on the day of judgment.

But if this appears difficult and troublesome to us on account of the hard exercise of virtue, or rather on account of the suggestion and counsel of the adversary, ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς σπλαγχνίζεται καὶ μακροθυμεῖ ἐκδεχόμενος τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐπιστροφήν, καὶ ἁμαρτανόντων ἡμῶν ἀνέχεται, ἀναμένων τὴν μετάνοιαν ἡμῶν, καὶ πίπτοντας ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται πάλιν δέχεσθαι, καθὼς εἶπεν ὁ προφήτης· μὴ ὁ πίπτων οὐκ ἀνίσταται, ἢ ὁ ἀποστρέφων οὐκ ἐπιστρέφει; behold, moved by the greatest compassion, he is gentle and patient, awaiting our conversion; he tolerates us when we sin, desires our penance, and is not ashamed to receive us again when we have fallen, just as the Prophet² said: “Does he who falls not rise again, or does he who has turned away not return?”

But if the mercy of God toward us is of this kind³,

how does it therefore come about that, moved by so many exhortations and promises,

we refuse to approach him wholly and to surrender ourselves wholly to him? But behold all these things, and how great a glory besides has been given! How many dispensations (οἰκονομίαι) have been made from the times of the Fathers and Prophets? How many promises, and how many exhortations? How great was the mercy of the Lord toward us ἐξ ἀρχῆς, from the beginning? But at last, even by his own advent, τὴν ἄρρητον χρηστότητα ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς διὰ τῆς σταυρώσεως ἐπεδείξατο, he displayed his ineffable benignity toward us through the crucifixion, ἵνα ἡμᾶς εἰς ζωὴν ἐπιστρέψαντας μετενέγκῃ, that he might transfer us, converted, into life.

Yet we do not withdraw from our own will, the love of the world, preconceptions, and depraved customs. Wherefore it appears from this that we are endowed with either little faith or none at all. And besides all these things, ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς χρηστεύεται, ἀοράτως φρουρῶν καὶ περιθάλπων, μὴ κατὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα παραδιδοὺς ἡμᾶς εἰς τέλος τῇ κακίᾳ, καὶ τῇ τοῦ κόσμου ἀπάτῃ ἀφιεὶς ἡμᾶς ἀπολέσθαι, διὰ πολλὴν χρηστότητα καὶ μακροθυμίαν ἀποσκοπῶν, πότε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπιστρέψωμεν, behold, he shows himself benign toward us, invisibly protects and cherishes us, and does not, according to our sins, hand us over forever to malice or permit us to perish through the deceptions of the world; but on account of his great clemency and long-suffering looks down from above to see when we may be converted to him.

The Apostle⁴ makes mention of this clemency and long-suffering⁵, saying: ἢ τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας καταφρονεῖς, ἀγνοῶν ὅτι τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς μετάνοιάν σε ἄγει;, “Or dost thou contemn the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God invites thee to penance?” Whence,

if, abusing his long-suffering, goodness, and forbearance, we add more sins and procure for ourselves a graver judgment by our negligence and contempt, that saying⁶ will be fulfilled: “But according to thy hardness and impenitent heart, thou gatherest up wrath for thyself in the day of wrath and the revelation of the just judgment of God.”

Πολλῇ γὰρ ἀγαθότητι ἀνεκδιηγήτῳ, καὶ μακροθυμίᾳ ἀνεκφράστῳ κέχρηται ὁ θεὸς περὶ τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων, μόνον εἰ ἡμεῖς ἀνανῆψαι θελήσομεν, καὶ ἐξ ὅλου ἐπιστραφῆναι πρὸς αὐτὸν σπουδάσομεν, ἵνα σωτηρίας τυχεῖν δυνηθῶμεν. For God employs the greatest and inexpressible goodness and ineffable patience toward the human race, if only we will to return to sobriety and endeavor to be wholly converted to him, that we may be able to become participants in salvation.

Excellent testimonies concerning this patience are read in the Scriptures⁷:

Wherefore⁸, even now the good and benign God shows himself long-suffering toward each one of us, seeing how far each stumbles; and he rests, waiting until he may return to wisdom and turn away from committing sins, receiving with great love and joy the one converted from sin. For thus he says⁹: “There is joy over one sinner returning to wisdom.” And again¹⁰: “For it is not the will of my Father that one of these least little ones should perish.”

To these Macarius appends other things tending to the same point and expressed in nearly the same words; then elsewhere he adds¹¹:

God is just and his judgments are just, καὶ προσωποληψία¹² παρ᾽ αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν, and there is no respect of persons with him; but according to the measure (κατὰ ἀναλογίαν) of the benefits, whether bodily or spiritual, whether of knowledge or understanding—ἃ καὶ ἐν τῇ φύσει τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ θεὸς διαφόρως ἐνέθηκεν, which God variously implanted even in human nature—he will judge each one, will seek the fruits of virtue, and will render to each according to his works and dignity;

¹³ and the mighty shall mightily suffer torments. For the least is worthy of pardon and mercy. And the Lord¹⁴ says: “The servant who knew the will of his lord and did not prepare himself nor act according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know and did things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few. Moreover, to whomsoever much has been given, much shall be required of him, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they shall ask the more.”

But understand knowledge and understanding διαφόρως νοεῖ, in diverse ways: ἤτοι κατὰ χάριν καὶ δόμα ἐπουράνιον τοῦ πνεύματος, ἤτοι κατὰ φυσικὴν ἀκολουθίαν συνέσεως καὶ διακρίσεως, καὶ διὰ τῶν θείων γραφῶν παιδεύσεως, both according to grace and the heavenly gift of the Spirit, and according to the natural progress of understanding and discretion and the instruction proceeding from the sacred writings. For the fruits of virtue will be required from each one, κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῶν παρὰ θεοῦ γενομένων εἰς αὐτὸν εὐεργεσιῶν, ἤτοι φυσικῶν, ἤτοι ἐκ θείας χάριτος δεδομένων, according to the measure of the benefits conferred by God upon him, whether natural or those which are granted by divine grace. Ἀναπολόγητος τοίνυν ἐστὶ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος παρὰ θεῷ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως· ἕκαστος γὰρ καθ᾽ ὃ ἔγνω τοὺς καρποὺς τῆς πίστεως, καὶ ἀγάπης, καὶ πάσης ἀρετῆς τῆς πρὸς αὐτόν, ἐκ προαιρέσεως καὶ θελήματος ἀνταπόδοσιν ἀπαιτηθήσεται, ἤτοι δι᾽ ἀκοῆς, ἤτοι μηδέποτε λόγον ἀκούσας θεοῦ. Therefore every man is inexcusable before God on the day of judgment. For repayment will be exacted from each according as he knew, with account taken of his choice and will, of the fruits of faith and love and of every virtue granted to him, whether he perceived it by hearing or never heard the word of God.