33… So is the great and wide sea also; wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. He speaks of the sea as terrible. Snares creep in this world, and surprise the careless suddenly; for who numbers the temptations that creep? They creep, but beware, lest they snatch us away. Let us keep watch on the Wood; even in the water, even on the waves, we are safe: let not Christ sleep, let not faith sleep; if He has slept, let Him be awakened; He will command the winds; He will calm the sea; the voyage will be ended, and we shall rejoice in our country. For I see in this terrible sea unbelievers still; for they dwell in barren and bitter waters: but they are both small and great. We know this: many little men of this world are still unbelievers, many great men of this world are so: there are living creatures, both small and great, in this sea. They hate the Church: the name of Christ is a burden to them: they rage not, because they are not permitted; the cruelty which cannot burst forth in deeds, is shut up within the heart. For all, whether small or great, creeping things, both small and great, who at present grieve at the temples being shut, the altars overthrown, the images broken, the laws which make it a capital crime to sacrifice to idols; all who mourn on this account, are still in the sea. What then of us? And by what road then are we to journey unto our country? Through this very sea, but on the Wood. Fear not the danger; that wood which holds together the world does bear you up.

34. There shall go the ships. Lo, ships float upon that which alarmed you, and sink not. By ships we understand churches; they go among the storms, among the tempests of temptations, among the waves of the world, among the beasts, both small and great. Christ on the wood of His cross is the Pilot. There shall go the ships. Let not the ships fear, let them not much mind where they float, but by Whom they are steered. There shall go the ships. What voyage do they find tedious, when they feel that Christ is their Pilot? They will sail safely, let them sail diligently, they will reach their promised haven, they will be led to the land of rest.

35. There is also in that sea somewhat which transcends all creatures, great and small. What is this? Let us hear the Psalm: There is that Leviathan, whom You have formed to make sport of him. There are creeping things innumerable, both small and great beasts; there shall the ships go, and shall not fear, not only the creeping things innumerable, and beasts both small and great, but not even the serpent which is there; whom Thou, he speaks unto God, hast made to make sport of him. This is a great mystery; and yet I am about to utter what ye already know. You know that a certain serpent is the enemy of the Church: you have not seen him with the eyes of the flesh, but you see him with the eyes of faith…

36. This serpent then, our ancient enemy, glowing with rage, cunning in his wiles, is in the mighty sea. Here is that Leviathan, whom You have formed to make sport of him. Do thou now make sport of the serpent: for for this end was this serpent made. He falling by his own sin from the sublime realms of the heavens, and made devil instead of angel, received a certain region of his own in this mighty and spacious sea. What you think his kingdom, is his prison. For many say: wherefore has the devil received so great power, that he may rule in this world, and prevails so much, can do so much? How much prevails he? How much can he do? Unless by permission, he can do nothing. Do thou so act, that he may not be allowed to attack you; or if he be allowed to tempt you, he may depart vanquished, and may not gain you. For he has been allowed to tempt some holy men, servants of God: they overcame him, because they departed not from the way, they whose heel he watched, fell not…

37. He then, my brethren, who does wish to watch the serpent’s head, and safely to pass this sea; for it must be that this serpent dwells here, and, as I had commenced saying, the devil when he fell from heaven received this region; let him watch his head, on the part of the fear of the world, and of the lusts of the world. For it is hence that he suggests some object of fear or of desire; he tries your love, or your fear. If you fear hell, and lovest the kingdom of God, you will watch his head… There is no power but of God. What then do you fear? Let the dragon be in the waters, let the dragon be in the sea: you are to pass through it. He is made so as to be made sport of, he is ordained to inhabit this place, this region is given him. You think that this habitation is a great thing for him, because you know not the dwellings of the angels whence he fell: admirest the dwellings of the dead where he is cast down.”}}—> what seems to you his glory, is his damnation.

38…What then do you fear? Perhaps he is about to try your flesh: it is the scourge of your Lord, not the power of your tempter. His wish is to injure that salvation which is promised: but he is not allowed: but that he may not be allowed, have Christ for your Head: repel the serpent’s head: consent not unto his suggestion, slip not from your path. There is that Leviathan, whom You have made to make sport of him.

39. Do you wish to see how incapable he is of hurting you, unless permitted? These, he says, wait all upon You, that You may give them meat in due season. And this serpent wishes to devour, but he devours not whom he wishes…You have heard what the serpent’s meat is. Thou dost not wish that God give you to be devoured by the serpent; because not the serpent’s food: i.e. forsake not the Word of God. For where it is said to the serpent, Dust you shall eat, it is said to the transgressor, Dust you are, and unto dust you shall return. Thou dost not wish to be the serpent’s food? Be not dust. How, you reply, shall I not be dust? If you have not a taste for earthly things. Hear the Apostle, that you may not be dust. For the body which you wear is earth: but do thou refuse to be earth. What means this? Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. If you dost not set your affections on earthly things, you are not earth: if you are not earth, you are not devoured by the serpent, whose appointed food is earth. The Lord gives the serpent his food when He will, what He will: but He judges rightly, he cannot be deceived, He gives him not gold for earth. When You have given it them, they gather it…

40. When you open Your hand, they shall all be filled with good. What is it, O Lord, that You open Your hand? Christ is Your hand. To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? To whom it is revealed, unto him it is opened: for revelation is opening. When You open Your hand, they shall all be filled with good. When Thou revealest Your Christ, they shall all be filled with good. But they have not good from themselves; this is oftentimes proved unto them. When Thou hidest Your face, they are troubled. Many filled with good have attributed to themselves what they had, and have wished to boast as in their own righteousnesses, and have said to themselves, I am righteous; I am great: and have become self-complacent. Unto these the Apostle speaks: What have you, that you did not receive? But God, wishing to prove unto man that whatever he has he has from Him, so that with good he may gain humility also, sometimes troubles him; He turns away His face from him, and he falls into temptation; and He shows him that his righteousness, and his walking aright, was only under His government…

41. But why do You do this? Why do You hide Your face, that they may be troubled? You shall take away their breath, and they shall fail. Their breath was their pride; they boast, they attribute things to themselves, they justify themselves. Hide, therefore, Your face, that they may be troubled: take away their breath, and let them fail; let them cry unto You, Hear me, O Lord, and that soon, for my spirit waxes faint: hide not Your face from me. You shall take away their breath, and they shall fail, and shall be turned to their dust. The man who repents of his sin discovers himself, that he had not strength of himself; and does confess unto God, saying, that he is earth and ashes. O proud one, you are turned to your own dust, your breath has been taken away; no longer do you boast yourself, no longer extol yourself, no longer justify yourself; you see that you are made of dust, and when the Lord turns away His face, you have fallen back into your own dust. Pray, therefore, confess your dust and your weakness.

42. And see what follows: You shall send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be made. You shall take away their spirit, and send forth Your own: You shall take away their spirit: they shall have no spirit of their own. Are they then forsaken? Blessed are the poor in spirit: but they are not forsaken. They refused to have a spirit of their own: they shall have the Spirit of God. Such were our Lord’s words to the future martyrs: It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you. Attribute not your courage to yourselves. If it is yours, He says, and not Mine, it is obstinacy, not courage. For we are His workmanship, says the Apostle, created unto good works. From His Spirit we have received grace, that we may live unto righteousness: for it is He that justifies the ungodly. You shall take away their spirit, and they shall fail; You shall send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be made: and You shall renew the face of the earth: that is, with new men, confessing themselves to have been justified, not righteous of their own power, so that the grace of God is in them. What then? When He has taken away our spirit, we shall be turned again to our dust, beholding to our edification our weakness, that when we receive His Spirit we may be refreshed. See what follows: Be the glory of the Lord for ever. Not yours, not mine, not his, or his; not for a season, but forever. The Lord shall rejoice in His works. Not in yours, as if they were yours: because if your works are evil, it is through your iniquity; if good, it is through the grace of God. The Lord shall rejoice in His works.

43. Who looks on the earth, and makes it tremble; who touches the hills, and they shall smoke. O earth, you were exulting in your good, to yourself you ascribed your fullness and opulence; behold, the Lord looks on you, and causes you to tremble. May He look on you, and make you tremble: for the trembling of humility is better than the confidence of pride…For it is God, he says, which works in you. For this reason then with trembling, because God works in you. Because He gave, because what you have comes not from you, you shall work with fear and trembling, for if you fear not Him, He will take away what He gave. Work, therefore, with trembling. Hear another Psalm: Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice unto Him with trembling. If we must rejoice with trembling, God beholds us, there comes an earthquake; when God looks upon us, let our hearts tremble; then will God rest there. Hear Him in another passage: Upon whom shall My Spirit rest? Even on him that is lowly and quiet, and who trembles at My Word.

Who looks on the earth, and makes it tremble; who touches the hills, and they shall smoke. The hills were proud, and boastful of themselves, God had not touched them: He touches them, and they shall smoke. What means the smoking of the hills? That they pray unto the Lord. Behold great hills, proud hills, vast hills, prayed not to God: they wished themselves to be entreated, and entreated not Him who was above them. For what powerful, arrogant, proud man is there upon the earth, who deigns humbly to entreat God? I speak of the ungodly, not of the cedars of Libanus, which the Lord has planted. Every ungodly man, unhappy soul, knows not how to entreat God, while he wishes himself to be entreated by men. He is a hill; it is needful that God touch him, that he may smoke: when he has begun to smoke, he will offer prayers unto God, as it were the sacrifice of his heart. He smokes unto God, he then beats his breast: he begins to weep, for smoke does elicit tears.

44. I will sing unto the Lord in my life. What will sing? Everything that is willing. Let us sing unto the Lord in our life. Our life at present is only hope; our life will be eternity hereafter: the life of mortal life, is the hope of an everlasting life. I will praise my God while I have my being. Since I am in Him for ever and ever, while I have my being, I will praise my God. Let us not imagine that, when we have commenced praising God in that state, we shall have any other work: our whole life will be for the praises of God. If we become weary of Him whom we praise, we may also become weary of praising. If He is ever loved, He is ever praised by us.

45. Let my discourse be pleasing to Him: my joy shall be in the Lord. What is the discourse of man unto God, save the confession of sins? Confess unto God what you are, and you have discoursed with Him. Discourse unto Him, do good works, and discourse. Wash you, make you clean, says Isaiah. What is it to discourse unto God? Unfold yourself to him who knows you, that He may unfold Himself to you who know not Him. Behold, it is your discourse that pleases the Lord; the offering of your humility, the tribulation of your heart, the holocaust of your life, this pleases God. But what is pleasing to yourself? My joy shall be in the Lord. This is that discoursing which I meant between God and yourself: show yourself to Him who knows you, and He shows Himself unto you who know not him. Pleasing unto Him is your confession: sweet unto you is His grace. He has spoken Himself unto you. How? By the Word. What Word? Christ…

46. Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth. He seems angry! O holy soul, which here does sing and groan! Would that our soul were with that very soul! Would that it were coupled with it, associated, conjoined with it! It shall behold also His loving-kindness when he is angry. For who but he who is filled with charity, understands this? Thou tremblest, because he curses. And who does curse? A saint. Without doubt he is listened to. But it is said to the saints, Bless, and curse not. What is then the sense of the words, Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth? Let them utterly be consumed; let their spirit be taken away, that He may send forth His own Spirit, and they may be restored. And the ungodly, so that they be no more. In what that they be no more, save as wicked men? Let them therefore be justified, that they may no longer be ungodly. The Psalmist saw this, and was filled with joy, and repeats the first verse of the Psalm: Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Let our soul bless the Lord, brethren, since He has deigned to give unto us both understanding and the power of language, and unto you attention and earnestness in hearing. Let each, as he can recall to mind what he has heard, by mutual conversation stir up the food you have received, ruminate on what you have heard, let it not descend in you into the bowels of forgetfulness. Let the treasure to be desired rest upon your lips. These matters have been sought out and discovered with great labour, with great labour have they been announced and discoursed of; may our toil be fruitful unto you, and may our soul bless the Lord.