On Chastisement
XLIX. On Chastisement
1. God chastises the sinful man
when He causes him to remember the suffering
He chose to endure by reason of <His> great love.
2. God chastises man by means of torments
so that the latter may become repentant
at the fact that he has sinned towards God.
3. God is such an effective (lit. “good”) chastiser
<for> He chastises men by means of love
and causes them to be fearful <of Him>.
4. Nobody is able to chastise effectively
unless he does so by means of gifts,
withdrawals <of favour> and threats.
5. Whoever reproaches another
when the latter has not sinned, fails to chastise <correctly>,
for he will stir him to anger and incense him.
6. Let he who wishes to chastise another,
sooner chastise his own love,
his own thoughts and his own speech.
7. A man can easily be punished
by means of goodness and truth,
repentance and charity.
8. Sooner is a man able to chastise himself
than another, if he fully wishes to consider
the ills that God is capable of visiting upon man.
9. He who fails to chastise himself for the sake of <his> great love,
yet does so for the sake of <his> great fear,
shall before long commit the same follies again.
10. One should persist in one’s efforts
to chastise a wicked man,
yet if they are to no avail, one should let him loose altogether.
11. Since God does not suspend His judgement
<over> whoever fails to accept chastisement from Him,
He permits him to receive punishment.