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Keep the faith in which you received, in which you were raised, by which you hope to save yourself (see: 1 Cor. 15: 1-2) and to save others: for you know that few can boast of the same thing as you (1). When, having abandoned faith, we prefer the power of the word to it and destroy the certainty of the Spirit with our questions, and then our word is defeated by the greatness of objects (this must necessarily follow when the word is moved by a weak instrument - our thought) then what happens? – The weakness of the word seems to us to be the insufficiency of the sacrament itself; and thus, the foolishness of the word turns into the destruction of the Cross, as Paul discusses this (see 1 Cor. 1:17). For the completion of our teaching is faith (1). They (the Arians) have houses in themselves, and we have those who live in houses: they have churches, and we have God, and we ourselves, through the worshiped Trinity, can become living churches of the living God, animated sacrifices, reasonable burnt offerings, perfect offerings and gods. They have nations - we have Angels; They have audacity - we have faith; they threaten - we pray; they overthrow - we endure; They have gold and silver - we have a purified teaching. You built yourself a house of two and three floors (remember the words of Scripture: a spacious house with cut windows (see Jer. 22:14), but it is not higher than my faith and the heavens to which I strive (1). And above all and above all, keep the good pledge for which I live and bear my title, which I would like to have as a companion when leaving the world, with which I endure all sorrows and despise all the pleasures of life: keep the confession of faith in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. I entrust this confession to you now, with it I will immerse you in the font, and with it I will lead you out. I give him to you for the rest of your life as a comrade and protector - the One Divinity and the One Power, Which is found in the Three individually and embraces the Three separately without distinction in essences or natures, does not increase or decrease through additions and decreases, is everywhere equal, everywhere the same, like the one beauty and the one greatness of the sky (1). I will baptize you, teaching you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. One common name of the Three is God. Let both images and words make you understand that you reject all atheism, as if united with the entire Divinity. Believe that the whole world, visible and invisible, created by God out of nothing and governed by the providence of the Creator, will change into a better one. Believe that evil has neither a special essence nor a kingdom, that it is not originless, not original, created by God, but is our work and the work of the evil one and has come into us from our negligence, and not from the Creator. Believe that the Son of God is the eternal Word, born of the Father childless and incorporeal, and He was born in the last days for your sake and as the Son of man, descended from the Virgin Mary, ineffable and undefiled (for there is no defilement, where is God and where does salvation come from); that He is fully man and at the same time God, for the sake of all suffering man, in order to grant salvation to you all, destroying all condemnation of sin, impassive in Divinity, suffering in perceived humanity, as much a man for you as you become god for His sake; that for our iniquities He was led to death, crucified and buried, because He tasted death, and, having risen on the third day, ascended into heaven in order to raise with Him you who were cast down, but will again come at His glorious appearance to judge the living and the dead, He will come no longer in the flesh, but also not incorporeal, but in the image of a most divine body known to Him only, so that He may be visible to those who pierced Him, and remain God, uninvolved in plumpness. In addition, recognize the resurrection, judgment and reward according to the truthful scales of God. And this reward for those who are purified in heart will be light, that is, God visible and cognizable to the extent of purity, which we also call the Kingdom of Heaven, but for those who are blind in mind, that is, for those alienated from God to the extent of local myopia, there will be darkness. Finally, on this basis of dogma, do good, because faith without works is dead (James 2:26), as are works without faith (1). Yesterday your faith was consistent with the circumstances of the time, now know the faith of God, how long will you be limping on both knees (1 Kings 18:21)? How long will it take you to prepare what you need for the building? Finally, get down to the construction itself. Yesterday you considered it an honor to appear, now you consider it a great honor to be that in reality. How long will there be only dreams? Take care of reality someday! Yesterday you were a lover of spectacles, now turn out to be a lover of contemplation. Yesterday you were slanderous and insolent, now say only good things and be meek. Yesterday you indulged in drunkenness, now serve chastity. Today you drink wine, tomorrow you drink water. Now you bask on beds of ivory and anoint yourself with the best ointments (see Am. 6, 4,6), tomorrow you lie down on the bare ground and stay awake. From laughing, become thoughtful, instead of smart clothes, put on rags, instead of an arrogant and pompous appearance, take on a simple appearance, from a gold-bearer, become a beggar-lover, from an arrogant person, become one who hangs to the ground. If you reason and act in this way, then there will be a new heaven and a new earth for you, who comprehends both the rest and the foundation of this (1). If, like Thomas, you are not with the gathered disciples who are Christ, do not be unfaithful after you have seen. And if you don’t believe it, believe those who say it. If you don’t believe them, then believe the wounds from the nails (1). It is insulting to faith not to have it in your heart, but to present it in any color. The paint is easy to wash off, and I like something that has penetrated deep (2). If everything is clear, then tell me: where is the place for faith? For faith is inquisitive agreement (2). Faith can be twofold: one is based on the persuasiveness of the word, and the other is based on some kind of ready consent to everything. And the first one is correct; because the leader of the word is the Word itself (2). You might be interested in: