"В шесть дней Бог сотворил небо и землю,...

"In six days, God created heaven and earth, great mountains, plains, rocks, valleys, forests, grasses, springs, rivers, paradise, all (in a word) diversity that affects our eyes - this is a great and wide sea, islands, coastal and inland countries; all this visible world, with all its beauty, God created in six days; and the intelligent and unreasonable creatures that fill this world and the whole routine that we see, He creates in six days. His goodness was slow when he wanted to destroy one city. He wants to destroy Jericho says to Israel: Go around it for seven days, and on the seventh day the wall will fall (Jav.6: 3-4) Do you build the whole world in six days, and destroy one city in seven days? What hinders your power? Why don’t you suddenly destroy it? Is it not about you that the prophet exclaims: “As long as you open heaven, mountains will tremble from you, and melt like wax from the face of fire” (Isa. 64: 1–2)? David says: “We shall not be afraid, the earth is always troubled, and mountains lie in the hearts of the sea” (Ps. 45: 3)? You can rearrange the mountains, plunge them into the sea, and you don’t want (to infect) to destroy one rebellious city and assign seven days to ruin it. Why? Not because, he says that power is powerless, but (because) mercy is long-suffering. I give seven days, like three days of Nineveh; it may turn out that the city will accept a sermon of repentance and be saved. But who will preach repentance to them? Enemies encircled the city, the leader surrounded the walls; great fear (in the city), great confusion! What way of repentance did you open to them? Have you sent a prophet? Did you send an evangelist? Was there anyone who inspired them with useful things? Yes, he says, they had such a teacher of repentance - that wondrous Rahab that I saved by repentance. She was from the same kind; but since she was not the same thoughts with them, then, not partaking of their unbelief, she did not partake of their sin. "

St. John Chrysostom