Isaias 57:17

Let her then ask of Him, and hear “Why?” For she is in the Psalm enquiring the cause of her dejection; saying, “Why hast Thou cast me off? and why go I mourning?” Let her hear from Isaiah; let the lesson which has just been read, suggest itself to her. “The spirit shall go forth from me, and every breath have I made. For iniquity have I a little afflicted him; I hid my face from him, and he departed from me sorrowful in the ways of his heart.” Why then didst thou ask, “Why hast Thou cast me off, and why go I mourning?” Thou hast heard, it was “for iniquity.” “Iniquity” is the cause of thy mourning; let “Righteousness” be the cause of thy rejoicing! Thou wouldest sin; and yet thou wouldest fain not suffer; so that it was too little for thee to be thyself unrighteous, without also wishing Him to be unrighteous, in that thou wouldest fain not be punished by Him. …

Wouldest thou know how good our Master is? The Publican went up full of ten thousand wickednesses, and saying only, “Be merciful unto me,” went down justified. (St. Luke xviii. 13, 14 .) Yea, God saith by the prophet, “Because of sin for some little season I grieved him, ( Is. lvii. 17, 18 . Sept.) and I saw that ( εἶδον δτι not in Sept.) he was grieved and went sorrowful, and I healed his ways” ( ἰασάμην αὐτὸν , Sept.) What is there equal to this loving-kindness? On condition ( ἳνα στυγνάση . See St. John viii. 56 . ἳνα ἴδη τὴν ἡμέραν ) of his “being but sorrowful,” so he speaks, “I forgave him his sins.” But we do not even this: wherefore we especially provoke God to wrath. …

Do not however despair on this account. For what if the wounds be severe? yet are they not incurable; such is our physician: only let us feel our wounds. Although we be arrived at the very extreme of wickedness, many are the ways of safety which He strikes out for us. Thus, if thou forbear to be angry with thy neighbor, thine own sins shall be forgiven. “For if ye forgive men,” saith He, “your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” ( Matt. vi. 14 .) And if thou give alms, He will remit thee thy sins; for, “break off thy sins,” saith He, “by alms.” ( Dan. iv. 24 .) And if thou pray earnestly, thou shalt enjoy forgiveness: and this the widow signifieth who prevailed upon that cruel judge by the importunity of her prayer. And if thou accuse thine own sins, thou hast relief: for “declare thou thine iniquities first, that thou mayest be justified:” ( Is. xlvii. …

[7.] Humble then thine heart, thou too, that thou mayest draw God unto thee. “For the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart.” ( Ps. xxxiii. 19 .) Seest thou not in the gorgeous houses those who are in disgrace; how they answer not again when even the lower servants insult them, but put up with it because of the disgrace with which their fault hath surrounded them? So do thou too: and if any one revile thee, wax not fierce, but groan, not for the insult, but for that sin which cast thee into disgrace. Groan when thou hast sinned, not because thou art to be punished, (for this is nothing,) but because thou hast offended thy Master, one so gentle, one so kind, one that so loveth thee and longeth for thy salvation as to have given even His Son for thee. For this groan, and do this continually: for this is confession. …

Let us begin therefore, I entreat you, one with making his prayers intense: another with continual weeping: another with downcast countenance. For not even is this, which is so small, unprofitable: for “I saw” (it is said) “that he was grieved and went downcast, and I healed his ways.” ( Isa. lvii. 17, 18 .)