subtle (Genesis 3:1) of all the serpents which were on the earth,’ and that it was by reason of his subtlety that destruction came upon him, because he possessed no other quality of excellence which attached itself closely to his cunning. For it is meet that the believing man who feareth God should ponder upon that which God giveth unto him. And let him speak that which he meditateth, and let him do that which he speaketh. For if to the asseveration of words there be not attached a brotherhood in acts and deeds, it is bread without salt, which cannot be eaten, lest digestion be disturbed, even as the blessed man Job said, ‘Can the thing which is insipid be eaten without salt? Or, is there any taste in the juice of the ox-tongue plant?’ (Job 6:6.) Even thus polished words possess no savour whatsoever unless they be made complete by works.
Now therefore there is one kind of permission which hideth spiritual excellence in order that it may be revealed, as, for example, that of Job concerning which God made known when He said unto him (Job 40:8ff.), ‘Blame not My judgement, and think not that I have done these things unto thee for any other reason than that it might be known that thou art righteous. Thou wast known unto Me because I see secret things, but thou wast not revealed unto the children of men, because they thought that thou didst care exceedingly for riches that thou mightest make perfect My pleasure; it was for this reason that I brought upon thee the trial of stripping thee of thy riches so that I might shew them thy gratitude towards Me, and thy patient endurance.’
“And there is another kind of permission [which God giveth] in order to drive out pride (or arrogance), as in the case of Paul, for the blessed Paul was permitted by means of distractions and a goad, and he fell into divers tribulations, and he said, ‘There hath been given to me a goad in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, (2 Corinthians 12:7) to buffet me so that I may not be [unduly] exalted,’ lest through the superfluity of the revelations, and signs, and gratifications [of the spirit], and prosperity and honours which were found with him, he might become lax and fall into arrogance. And the paralytic was permitted because of sin, even according to what our Redeemer said unto him, ‘Behold, thou art whole; sin no more’ (St. John 5:14). And Judas was permitted because he held money (St. Matthew 27:5) in greater esteem than life, and because of this he hanged himself. And Esau (Genesis 25:32) was permitted, and he fell into filthy desire because he honoured the dung of the bowels more than the divine birthright. Therefore, because
