К душе своей
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1. There is a matter for you, my soul, and, if you like, an important matter. Examine yourself, what you are, where you should strive, where you came from, and where you should stop; Is this really the life you are living now, or is there another besides it?
You care, my soul! Purify your life in the following way: think about God and God’s mysteries; think about what came before the universe, and what this universe means to you; where did it come from and where will it go?
You care, my soul! Purify your life with such reflections: how God rules the helm of the universe and turns it around; Why is it that some things are permanent, and others are fleeting, and why is our life especially subject to twists and turns?
You care, my soul! turn your gaze to the one God. What glory did I have before, and what reproach am I now? What is this conjugation in me, and what is the end of my life? Think about all this and stop your mind from wandering.
You have something to do, my soul! Whatever you endure, do not be exhausted!
2. Soul, look at grief, and forget everything earthly, so that your body does not subject you to sin! This life is short; the lucky one enjoys as if in a dream. Everyone has a different fate. One pure life is always constant and long-lasting, and the best thing is to live such a life. Others respect either gold, or silver, or a long meal - these are children's games in real life; and for others there are roads or beautiful silk fabrics, or fields sown with wheat, or herds of four-legged animals. But for me the greatest wealth is Christ. Oh, if only I could ever see Him with a pure, undisguised mind! Let peace rule the rest!
3. Where are you going, my spirit? Stop! Where are you going, unfortunate one? Alas! Alas! the charmer deceives you with his false intelligence. He will come up a little, and again step back, and again come closer, like a wolf to a calf, caressing you, luring you with his wild leaps, until he distracts you from God’s laws and catches you as food with his destructive teeth.
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