The Whip Of God

Εμαστίγωσας αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐκ ἐπόμησαν. Εἶτα περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἴδωμεν τὸ λεγόμενον· Εμαστίγωσας αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐκ ἐπόμησαν. Αὖται αἱ αἰσθηταὶ μάστιγες ζῶσι προσφερόμεναι σώμασιν, εἴτε βούλονται, εἶτε μὴ βούλονται οἱ μαστιγούμενοι, πόνον ἐμποιοῦσιν αὐτοῖς· αἱ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ μάστιγες τοιαῦται εἰσιν, ὥς τινας μὲν τῶν μαστιγουμένων πονεῖν, τινὰς δὲ τῶν μαστιγουμένων μὴ πονεῖν. Ἴδωμεν εἰ δυνάμεθα διηγήσασθαι, τί ἐστι τὸ πονεῖν ἀπὸ μαστίγων Θεοῦ, καὶ τί τὸ μὴ πονεῖν, καὶ ὅτι κακοδαίμονες οἱ μὴ πονοῦντες ἀπὸ μαστίγων Θεοῦ· μακαριοι δὲ οἱ πονοῦντες ἀπὸ μαστίγων Θεοῦ· φησὶ γὰρ ἡ Σοφία· Τίς δώσει ἐπὶ τοῦ διανοήματός μου μάστιγας, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν χειλέων μου σφραγὶδα πανοῦργον, ἵνα ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγνοήμασι μου μὴ φείσωνται, καὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι μου μὴ ἀπολέσωσί με. Πρόσχες τῷ· Τίς δώσει ἐπὶ τοῦ διανοήματός μου μάστιγας; Οὐκοῦν εἰσι μάστιγες τὸ διανόημα μαστιγοῦσαι. Αἱ μάστιγες τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ διανόημα μαστιγουσι. Λόγος γὰρ καθαπτόμενος τῆς ψυχῆς, καὶ εἰς σύνεσιν αὐτὴν ἄγων τῶν ἡμαρτημένων, μαστιγοῖ· μαστιγοῖ δὲ τὸν μὲν μακάριον πονοῦντα ἐπὶ ταῖς μάαστιξι· καθικνεῖται γὰρ αὐτου τὰ λεγόμενα, καὶ οὐκ ἐξευτελίζει τὸν ἐλέψχοντα ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Ἐπὰν δὲ τις εὑρεθῇ ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, ἀναίσθητος, λεχθήσεται περὶ αὐτοῦ· Ἐμαστιγωσας αὐτοὺς καὶ οὐκ ἐπόνησαν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου λεγομένου ἐλεγκτικῶς, φέρε εἰπεῖν, ἐπὶ τῷ καθικέσθαι διανοίας τοῦ τήν συνείδησιν μεμολυσμένου ἐπί τινι ἁμαρτίᾳ, τὸ λεγόμενον, ἐὰν ὁ μέν τις τῶν ἀκουόντων ἀλγήσῃ, ὥστε λεχθῆναι περὶ αὐτοῦ, ἐώρακας ὡς κατενύγη ὁ δεῖνα· ὁ δέ τις τῶν ἀκουόντῶν μὴ ἀλγὴσῃ, ἀλλὰ ἀναισθητεῖ τῶν ἐλεγχόντων, δῆλον ὅτι λεχθήσεται περὶ τοῦ μηδ' αἰσθανομένου· Εμαστίγωσας αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐκ ἐπόμησαν. Ὠριγένης Ἰερεμίας, Ὁμολία Ϛ' Source: Migne PG 13.324c-325a

You whipped them and they did not grieve. 1 Now concerning sinners let us understand what is said by: 'You whipped them and they did not grieve.' Material whips are applied to the living flesh, and whether those who are whipped wish it or not, pain is inflicted on them, but the blows of the whip of God are of such a kind that they make certain men grieve and not others. Let us consider, if we are able to tell it, why there may be grief from the whip blows of God and why there may not be. It is that the wretched are not grieved by the whips of God, and the blessed do grieve because of the whips of God. Wisdom says: 'Who shall put a whip to my thoughts, and on my lips an intricate seal, that my ignorance may spare me and my sins not ruin me?' 2 Attend to this: 'Who shall put a whip to my thoughts?' Therefore there are whips which strike the thought. The whips of God strike the mind. For the speech which pricks the conscience and leads to awareness of sins, it whips. The whip grieves the pious man because of the blows, for the words touch him and he does not spurn its correction. But when there is found someone who, I say, is unfeeling, then concerning him it is said: 'You have whipped them and they did not grieve.' This speech which reproves, that is to say, that which strikes the conscience of the mind of him defiled by some sin, if a man is pained by the hearing of it, so it said about him: 'You see that he is struck to the heart.' Another, however, who is not pained by hearing, but lacks all feeling for correction, clearly it is said of this one who does not feel, 'You whipped them, and they did not grieve.' Origen, On Jeremiah, Sixth Homily 1 Jerem 5.3 2 Sirach 23.2 Sept