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First word. About the spiritual law Since you have repeatedly desired to know how the law, according to the word of the Apostle, is spiritual (Rom. 7:14), and what those who wish to preserve it should know and how to act, let us speak about this according to our strength. 1. First, you need to know that God is the beginning, middle and end of every good. Good things cannot be believed or accomplished except in Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit 5 . 2. Every good thing is given to us from the Lord, and whoever believes so will not lose it. Undoubted faith is a strong pillar, and Christ becomes everything to the believer. 3. Let every intention of yours be initiated by [God, Who is] the Founder of all good, so that the [deed] you undertake may be according to God. 4. A person who is humble in wisdom and exercises himself in spiritual work, reading the Divine Scripture, will relate everything to himself and not to others. 5. Call on God to open the eyes of your heart, and then you will see the benefits of prayer and reading 6. 6. He who has any spiritual gift and has compassion for those who do not have it, preserves this gift through compassion. The arrogant one, being struck by thoughts of conceit, loses it. 7. The mouth of a humble man speaks the truth, but whoever contradicts it is like a servant who hit the Lord on the cheek (see John 18:22). 8. Do not become a student of someone who praises himself, lest you learn arrogance instead of humility. 9. Do not exalt your understanding of the Scriptures in your heart, lest your mind fall into the spirit of blasphemy. 10. Do not try to resolve a difficult matter through argument, but by doing what the spiritual law commands, i.e. patience, prayer and mental hope. 11. The one who cried and said: “Son of David, have mercy on me!” , – was blind (Mark 10:48; Luke 18:38. See: Mark 10:46; Luke 18:35). This is the one who prays physically and does not yet have a spiritual mind (γνώσιν). Having once been blind, having received his sight and seeing the Lord, he bowed to Him and confessed Him no longer as the Son of David, but as the Son of God (see: John 9:35, 38). 12. Do not be proud, shedding tears in your prayer, for [it is] Christ who touched your eyes and you received your sight mentally 7 . 13. He who, imitating the blind man, threw off his clothes and approached the Lord, follows Him and becomes a preacher of the most perfect teachings 8. 14. Malice, nourished by thoughts, makes the heart impudent, but destroyed by abstinence and hope, it crushes it. 15. There are two types of contrition of the heart: one – even and useful, [which leads] to tenderness; the other is uneven and harmful, [which leads] to confusion. 16. Vigil, prayer and patience in the [sorrows] that befall us bring harmless and useful contrition to the heart, unless by excess we violate the [proportionality in] their connection. He who is patient in these things will receive help in other things. He who is careless and indulges in self-indulgence will have an unbearable illness at the time of his death. 17. A voluptuous heart is a prison and a bond for the soul during its exodus, but a hard-working heart is an open door. 18. A cruel heart is like iron gates that lead into the city, but to the suffering 9 and the oppressed 10 they will open on their own, just like Peter (see: Acts 12:10). 19. There are many images (τρόποι) of prayer, different from one another; but not a single form of prayer is harmful, except that it is not prayer, but a satanic act. 20. A person, intending to do evil, first prays as usual in his mind and, being providentially (οίχονομιχώς), then thanks a lot. 21. David, intending to kill Nabal of Carmel and being restrained from his intention by the memory of Divine retribution, thanked [God] a lot (see: 1 Sam. 25, 2-39). 22. We also know what he did, forgetting God, and did not stop doing until the prophet Nathan brought him to remembrance [of God] (see: 2 Samuel 12:1-15). 23. When remembering God, increase your prayer, so that when you forget about Him, the Lord will remember you. 24. When reading the Divine Scripture, try to understand what is hidden in it, for it is said: “For as much as was written was written for our punishment” (Rom. 15:4). 25. “Faith,” says Scripture, “is the knowledge of those who hope” (Heb. 11:1) and it calls those who have not known the indwelling of Christ unskillful (άδοχίμους) 11. 26. Just as thoughts are revealed from deeds and words, so from actions of the heart is the future reward. 27. Compassion will be shown to a compassionate heart (οιχτειρηϑήσεται), just as a merciful [heart] will be shown mercy; for the unmerciful there will be a corresponding consequence. 28. The law of freedom teaches all truth; and many read it according to [their] understanding (κατά γνωσιν), but not many understand it as they fulfill the commandments. 29. Do not seek his perfection in human virtues, for perfection is not found in them: his perfection is hidden in the cross of Christ. 30. The law of freedom is read with the help of true understanding, understood through the fulfillment (εργασίας) of the commandments, and fulfilled (πληρουται) by the mercy of Christ. 31. When we, compelled by conscience, begin to be directed towards all the commandments of God, then we will know that the law of the Lord is blameless (Ps. 18:8) and is kept in our good deeds; but [and we understand that] without the mercy of God people cannot fulfill it completely (τελειωϑήναι). 32. Those who do not consider themselves debtors to every commandment of Christ read the law of God only bodily, not understanding what they say or affirm about them (cf. 1 Tim. 1:7), and therefore think that they fulfill it by deeds. 33. Another thing apparently (προφανώς) happens to be good, but the intention of the person doing it is bad; and other things are fulfilled as if they were bad, but the intention of the one doing it is good. 34. In this manner shown, some not only do deeds, but also utter words, because some give the matter a different appearance out of inexperience or ignorance, others out of a crafty intention, and others for the sake of a pious goal. 35. He who hides condemnation and censure under the veil of praise is incomprehensible to the simplest; The one who is vain under the guise of humility is similar to this. 36. Those who have long covered the truth with lies are finally permissively exposed by deeds. 37. Another, doing some seemingly good deed, takes revenge on his neighbor; and another, without doing it, will receive benefit through thought. 38. Reproof out of malice and vengeance is another matter; the other is out of the fear of God and the truth. 39. Do not rebuke the one who has left [sin] and repents. If you say that you are reproaching him according to God, then first declare your sins. 40. The beginning of all virtue is God, just as the beginning of daylight is the sun. 41. Having fulfilled virtue, remember Him who said: “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). 42. Good things are prepared for people for sorrow, but evil things are prepared for vanity and pleasure. 43. He who is offended by people avoids sin and receives intercession equal to sorrow. 44. He who believes in Christ regarding retribution, according to the measure of faith, diligently endures any insult. 45. He who prays for people who offend him casts down demons, and he who resists first is hurt by the last. 46. ​​Better is a human sin than a demonic one; he who pleases the Lord overcomes both. 47. Every good thing comes from the Lord providentially, but it departs secretly from the ungrateful, the foolish and the idle. 48. Every vice ends in illicit pleasure, and every virtue ends in spiritual consolation. And just as the first, having mastered us, attracts us to what is its own, so the second leads us to what is akin to itself. 49. Human reproach causes sorrow to the heart, but for the one who endures it it is the cause of purity. 50. Ignorance makes one speak contrary to what is useful and, having become daring, multiplies vices. 51. Having no lack of anything, accept the sorrows [sent] and, as one who must give an account, reject excess. 52. Having sinned secretly, do not try to hide it, for everything is naked and declared before the eyes of the Lord, and to Him we have a word (cf. Heb. 4:13). 53. Mentally open yourself to the Master: man sees on the face, but God is on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). 54. Think nothing and do nothing without a purpose, for he who travels at random will work in vain. 55. It is difficult for someone who sins not out of necessity to repent, for it is impossible to hide from the truth of God. 56. A regrettable incident reminds a wise person of God and equally upsets one who forgets about God. 57. Let every involuntary sorrow teach you to remember God, and you will not lack incentives to repentance. 58. Oblivion in itself has no power, but becomes stronger as we become careless. 59. Don’t say: “What should I do? I don’t want to, but [oblivion] comes.” This is because you, remembering, neglected what was due. 60. Whatever [good] you remember, do; [then] that which you do not remember will be revealed to you, and do not consign your thought to reckless oblivion. 61. Scripture says: “Hell and destruction are manifest before the Lord” (Prov. 15:11). This speaks of heartfelt ignorance and oblivion. 62. Hell is ignorance, for both are implicit 12. Destruction is oblivion, for they perished from among the existing ones. 63. Try to recognize your own bad deeds, and not your neighbor, and the storehouse of your mind will not be robbed. 64. Neglect of all feasible virtues (καλών) is unforgivable, but alms and prayer restore those who are negligent. 65. Any sorrow for God is an essential (ενυπόστατον) matter of piety, for true love is tempted by opposite things. 66. Do not expect to acquire virtue without sorrow, for he who is at rest (διά την ’άνεσιν) is inexperienced. 67. Think about the end of all involuntary sorrow, and you will find in it the destruction of sin. 68. Many advices (συμβουλίαι) of one's neighbor are beneficial; but for everyone there is nothing more decent than his own advice (γνώμης) 13. 69. When looking for healing, take care of your conscience, and do what it tells you - and you will benefit. 70. God and conscience know everyone’s secrets; It is through them that [everyone] may find correction. 71. He who labors under compulsion suffers disaster in everything, 14 but the current 15 with hope is twice rich. 72. A person, as much as he can, tries [to do good] according to his own will; God arranges the fulfillment of this in accordance with His righteousness. 73. If you want to accept praise from people without condemnation, first love reproof of your sins. 74. If anyone suffers any shame for the truth of Christ, he will be glorified a hundredfold by many. 75. However, it is better to do every good thing for the sake of future [reward]. 76. When a person brings benefit to another in words or deeds, let them both recognize the grace of God in this. He who does not understand these things will possess those who understand them. 77. He who praises his neighbor due to some kind of hypocrisy will, on occasion, humiliate him and be put to shame himself. 78. He who does not know the ambush of enemies easily (εύχερώς) suffers death, and he who does not know the causes of passions easily (ῥᾳδίως) falls. 79. From voluptuousness comes negligence, and from negligence - oblivion. For God has given to everyone the knowledge of useful things 16. 80. A person advises his neighbor as he knows (καθὰ ἐπίσταται); God acts in the one who hears according to the measure of his faith (καθὰ ἐπίστευσεν) [to the one who advises]. 81. I saw simple people, truly humble in wisdom, and they were wiser than the sages. Another of the simple ones, having heard that they were being praised, did not imitate their humility, but, vainglorious in simplicity, also acquired arrogance. 82. He who despises knowledge and boasts of ignorance is ignorant not only in word, but also in mind (τῇ γνώσει). 83. For just as one thing is wisdom (σοφία) in words and another is wisdom (φρόνησις) 17 , so another is ignorance in word, and another is madness. 84. Lack of skill in speech will not harm the pious 18 in the least, nor will wisdom in speech harm the humble. 85. Don’t say: “I don’t know what I should do and therefore I’m not guilty if I don’t do it.” For if you did the good that you know, then other things would be revealed to you in order, being understood one through the other. 86. It is not useful for you to know the subsequent one before the first thing is done. For reason boasts because of inaction, but love creates (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1), since everything endures (cf. 1 Cor. 13: 7). 87. Read the words of the Divine Scripture with actions, and not with verbosity, vainglorying oneself with simple understanding. 88. He who has abandoned activity 19 (πρᾶξιν) and is established in simple knowledge (τῇ γνώσει) instead of a two-edged sword (cf. Heb. 4:12; Ps. 149:6) holds a reed, which during battle, according to Scripture, will pierce his hand (see: 2 Kings 18:21; Isa.36:6) and, entering it, even before the enemies, he will pour in the poison of arrogance. 89. Every thought has measure and weight before God. For one and the same thing can be thought either biasedly or simply 20. 90. He who fulfills a commandment must expect temptation for it. For love for Christ is tempted by those who are contrary. 91. Don’t ever think of neglecting your thoughts. For no thought can be hidden from God. 92. When you see that a thought promises you human glory, then know for sure that it is preparing shame for you. 93. The enemy knows the truth of the spiritual law and seeks only the consent of the mind. For in this way he either makes the subject subject to himself guilty (ὑπεύθυνον) of the labors of repentance, or, if he does not repent, then he oppresses him with involuntary sorrows 21 . 94. Sometimes he encourages one to rebel against these sorrows, in order to thus multiply illnesses here, and at death, due to impatience, to show a person as unfaithful. 95. Many contrasted many things with involuntary misadventures, but without prayer and repentance no one escaped sorrows. 96. Evil one receives strength from another; In the same way, goodness increases one from another, and the one in whom it is, encourages more. 97. The devil reduces [in our eyes] small sins, for otherwise he cannot lead us to greater evil. 98. The root of shameful lust is human praise, just as the root of chastity is the exposure of our vices, not when we only hear it, but when we accept it. 99. He who renounces [his wealth] and lives in luxury receives no benefit. For what he did using his property (τῶν χρημάτων), he does the same without having anything. 100. Also, an abstinent person, if he acquires money (χρήματα), is a brother by first thought, from one mother due to mental pleasure, and from another father due to a change in passion. 101. Someone cuts off passion through greater pleasure 22 and receives glory from those who do not know his intentions. Or maybe he doesn’t even know himself, working uselessly. 102. The cause of every vice is vanity and lust. He who does not hate them does not conquer the 23rd passion. 103. The root of all evil, as it is said, is the love of money (1 Tim. 6:10), but it is obvious that it is made up of 24 of them. 104. The mind is blinded by these three passions, that is, love of money, vanity and voluptuousness. These are the three daughters of Piavitsa, according to Scripture, beloved by matter-madness (Proverbs 30:15). 105. Reason and faith, co-educators of our nature, have become dulled by nothing other than them. 106. Irritability, anger, abuse, murder and all other gradual evils from them have greatly increased among people. 107. One must hate the love of money, vanity and lust as the mothers of vices and stepmothers of virtues. 108. For their sake we are not commanded to love the world and those who are in the world (1 John 2:15). Not so that we would recklessly hate God’s creatures, but so that we would cut off the causes of these three passions. 109. “There is no one,” says Scripture, “who, having been a warrior, is obligated to purchase the purchases of this life” (2 Tim. 2:4). For whoever, having committed himself to them, wants to overcome passions, is like a man who puts out a fire with straw. 110. He who is angry with his neighbor for property, or for fame, or for sweetness, has not yet learned that God righteously rules His creatures. 111. When you hear what is said from the Lord: “Unless anyone renounces all his property, he is worthy of Me” (Luke 14:33; Matt. 10:38), then understand what is said not only about property, but also about all the actions of evil. 112. He who does not know the truth cannot believe truly, for knowledge by nature precedes faith. 113. Just as God determined for every visible thing a property akin to it, so also for human thoughts, whether we want it or not. 114. If someone, clearly sinning and not repenting, did not suffer at all until his death, consider that an unmerciful judgment will befall him 25. 115. The one who prays wisely endures the [sorrows] that come upon him, but the one who is vindictive has not yet prayed purely. 116. If you are offended, scolded or expelled by someone, do not think about the present, but expect the future; and you will find that he was the cause of many blessings for you, not only in the present, but also in the next century. 117. Just as bitter wormwood is useful for those who have poor digestion, so it is useful for evil-willed people to endure misfortunes. For these medicines bring health to some, and repentance to others. 118. If you do not want to endure evil, then do not wish to do evil. For this will inevitably follow. For as a man sows, he will also reap 26. 119. Voluntarily sowing evil and involuntarily reaping it, we must marvel at the truth of God. since there is a certain time between sowing and harvest, we do not believe in reward 27. 120. Having sinned, blame not the action, but the thought. For if the mind did not precede, then the body would not follow. 121. The secret doer of evil is worse than those who openly offend, and that is why he is punished more severely. 122. He who builds forges and secretly does evil is, according to Scripture, a serpent who sits in the path and gnaws the heel of a horse (Gen. 49:17). 123. He who at the same time praises his neighbor in something and blames his neighbor in something, is obsessed with vanity and envy: he tries to hide envy with praise, and with censure he sets himself up as better than him. 124. Just as it is impossible to herd sheep with wolves, so it is impossible to receive mercy for someone who does evil to his neighbor. 125. He who secretly mixes his own will with the commandments is an adulterer, as it is said in Wisdom, and for the poverty of his mind he will suffer illness and dishonor (Prov. 6:32,33). 126. Just as water and fire resist each other during copulation, so justification and humility resist each other. 127. Let him who seeks forgiveness of sins love 28 humility. He who condemns another puts a seal on his own evil deeds. 128. Do not leave even the smallest sin unerased, so that it does not later lead you to greater evil. 129. If you want to be saved, love the true word and never foolishly turn away from reproof. 130. The word of truth changed the generation of vipers and told them to flee the future wrath (cf. Matt. 3:7). 131. He who receives the word of truth receives God the Word, for Christ says: “He who receives you receives me” (Matthew 10:40). 132. The paralytic, hanging through the roof, is a sinner who is rebuked by God’s faithful and, for the sake of their faith, receives forgiveness of sins 29 . 133. It is better to pray with reverence for your neighbor than to convict him of any sin. 134. The truly (ὀρθῶς) penitent is subject to ridicule by the insane. And this is for him a sign of pleasing God. 135. Strive to abstain from everything (1 Cor. 9:25) and do not cease to do this until the Lord destroys the seed of Babylon 30. 136. Imagine that there are twelve sinful 31 passions. If you arbitrarily love one of them, then she alone will take the place of eleven. 137. Sin is a burning fire. As the substance decreases, it fades and as it increases, it flares up. 138. Having exalted yourself with praise, expect dishonor. For it is said: Be exalted and humble yourself (Luke 14:11. Wed: Matthew 23:12). 139. When we reject every arbitrary vice from thought, then we will again enter into battle with the passions that have long been rooted in us. 140. Pre-impression (πρόληψις) is an involuntary recollection of past evils, which the ascetic does not allow to reach passion, and the winner overthrows even the very attack of it. 141. Attack (προσβολή) is a formless movement of the heart, which the skilled first master like a lock. 142. Where there are images of thoughts, there was already agreement, for an innocent attack is a formless movement of the heart. Some are pulled out from them like a brand from a fire, and others do not turn away until they kindle the flame. 143. Don’t say: “I don’t want to, but it comes [to mind].” Of course, if not this very thing, then you love the reasons for it. 144. He who seeks praise has passion; and whoever weeps because sorrow has befallen him loves pleasure. 145. Like on a scale, the thought of one who indulges in voluptuousness fluctuates: sometimes he cries and sobs about his sins, sometimes he takes arms against his neighbor and argues with him, justifying his voluptuousness (τὰς ἡδονάς). 146. He who tests everything and holds on to good things (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:21) will gradually move away from all evil. 147. A long-suffering man abounds in understanding (Prov. 14:29), as does one who inclines his ear to the words of wisdom (Prov. 5:1; 2:2). 148. Without remembrance of God there can be no true knowledge (γνῶσις). For without the first, the second is false. 149. For a hard-hearted person, a word of the subtlest knowledge is useful, for [such a person] does not accept the labors of repentance without fear. 150. For a meek person, a faithful word is appropriate, for he does not tempt the long-suffering of God and is not overcome by frequent violation [of God’s commandments]. 151. Do not rebuke a strong man for vanity, but point out to him the dishonor to which he is subjected for his vanity. For in this way it is convenient to reprove a wise man. 152. He who hates reproofs deliberately wallows in passions. And whoever loves it is obviously carried away [by the force of] former sinful habits (κατὰ πρόληψιν). 153. Do not want to hear about the evil deeds of others, for with such a desire, the features of these deeds are depicted in us. 154. Having heard enough bad speeches, be annoyed with yourself, and not with the one who spoke them. For bad hearing [has] a bad interlocutor. 155. If anyone converses with idle talkers, he must consider himself guilty of such speeches, if not on the present occasion, then on previous duty. 156. If you see someone hypocritically praising you, then expect reproach from him in due time. 157. Compare present sorrows with future blessings, and negligence will never weaken your feat. 158. If you praise a person as good for physical charity, forgetting about God, then later that same person will seem evil to you. 159. Every good thing comes from the Lord, according to His will. And those who bring it to us are the servants of blessings. 160. Accept the interweaving of good and evil with equal thoughts, and thus God will avert inequality between these things. 161. Inequality of thoughts produces special changes in us, since God divided the involuntary from the voluntary in proportion. 162. External deeds are the products of spiritual deeds and render their due according to God’s determination. 163. When the heart indulges in voluptuousness, harmful thoughts and words are born in it - and from the smoke we recognize the substance lying inside. 164. Be constant in thought, and you will not be exhausted by temptations; and having turned away from this, endure the [tribulations] that come. 165. Pray that temptation will not overtake you 32. Accept what comes as yours, and not someone else’s. 166. Remove your thoughts from all covetousness, and then you will be able to see the wiles of the devil. 167. Whoever says about himself that he sees all the devil’s machinations, he, not knowing himself, imagines himself to be perfect. 168. When the mind is freed from bodily concerns, then in proportion to this it sees the tricks of the enemies. 169. He who is carried away by thoughts is blinded by them and sees the actions of sin, but cannot see the reasons for these actions. 170. Others, apparently fulfilling the commandment, are servile to passion and destroy a good deed with evil thoughts. 171. Having allowed the beginning of vice in yourself, do not say: “It will not defeat me.” For to the extent that you have surrendered to him, you have already been defeated by him. 172. Everything that happens begins small and, being little by little nourished, grows. 173. The cunning of wickedness is a multi-complex net, and whoever, having become entangled in it, partially neglects [about this], is completely entangled in it. 174. Do not want to hear about the misfortune of people hostile to you. For those who listen to such speeches gather the fruits of their will. 175. Do not think that all sorrow comes upon people because of their sins. For some who please [God] are tempted. For it is written: The wicked and the wicked will become wives (Ps. 37:28). In the same way, those who want to live godly in Christ will be persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12). 176. During times of sorrow, pay attention to the effect of sweetness, for, since it consoles sorrow, it is pleasant to us. 177. Some call those who know how to reason about sensible things wise (φρονίμους); Those who have their own wishes are wise. 178. Before you destroy evil [from yourself], do not obey your heart. For whatever is invested in it, such applications it requires. 179. Like snakes - some are found in caves, while others nest in houses - so are passions; some are formed in the mind, while others are actually accomplished, although they are transformed from one type to another. 180. When you see that what lies inside you has come into strong motion and attracts the silent mind to passion, then know that the mind once warned this: it brought it into action and put it in the heart. 181. A cloud does not form without the movement of the wind; and passion is not born without thought. 182. If we no longer do the lusts of the flesh, according to the words of Scripture (cf. Eph. 2:3), then easily, with the help of the Lord, what lies within will cease [to disturb us]. 183. A certain image, which has received ideas of the mind, is worse and stronger than purely mental ones; but the latter are the fault of the former and precede them. 184. There is a vice that will hold the heart because of long-term rooting; and there is a vice that mentally attacks us due to daily occurrences. 185. God imputes deeds to us according to intentions 33 . For it is said: The Lord will give you according to your heart (Ps. 19:5). 186. He who does not remain in examination (θεωρίᾳ) of his conscience will not accept bodily labor for the sake of piety. 187. Conscience is a natural book. Anyone who actively reads it experiences the Divine intercession. 188. He who does not voluntarily undertake even voluntary labor for the truth will be more severely punished by involuntary labor. 189. He who knows the will of God and fulfills it to the best of his ability through small labors will avoid great ones. 190. Whoever wants to overcome temptations without prayer and patience will not repel them, but will become more entangled in them. 191. The Lord is hidden in His commandments and is found by those who seek Him as [they are fulfilled]. 192. Do not say: “I fulfilled the commandments and did not find the Lord.” You have found knowledge and truth, according to Scripture, many times; and those who truly seek Him will find peace. 193. Peace is deliverance from passions, which cannot be achieved without the action of the Holy Spirit. 194. One is fulfillment of a commandment, and another is virtue; although they borrow one from the other the incentive to do good. 195. Fulfillment of a commandment is when we have fulfilled what was commanded, and virtue is when what we have done is truly pleasing [to God]. 196. Just as sensory wealth is one, but has many different forms of acquisition, so virtue is one, but has many different actions. 197. He who, having no deeds, is cunning and speaks only words, grows rich unrighteously and, according to the Scripture, his labors will enter into strange houses (Proverbs 5:10). 198. “Everything will be subject to gold” (cf. Eccl. 10:19), says [Scripture]. The mental will be controlled by the grace of God. 199. A good conscience is acquired by prayer, and pure prayer by conscience. For each by its nature has a need for the other. 200. Jacob made Joseph a colorful robe (see: Gen. 37:3). And the Lord grants to the meek the knowledge of the truth, as it is written: The Lord will teach the meek in His way (Ps. 24:9). 201. Always do good according to your strength. And when the opportunity arises to do more, do not turn to less, for he who turns back, it is said, will not be ruled in the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). Second word. About those who think to be justified by works In the following scripture, the evil faith of those outside is exposed by those who firmly believe and know the truth. 34 2. The Lord, wanting to show that fulfilling every commandment is our duty, and that He has given adoption to people with His blood, says: “When you have done all that was commanded you, say, as we are unworthy servants: as we ought to do by those who have done, and by those who have created” (Luke 17:10). Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven is not retribution for deeds, but the grace of the Master prepared for faithful slaves. 3. The slave does not demand freedom as a reward (μισθόν), but pleases, like a debtor, and expects it by grace. 4. Christ died for our sins, according to Scripture (1 Cor. 15:3). And He grants freedom to those who serve Him faithfully. For he says: “Well done, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful for a few, and I will make you ruler over many: enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21). 5. He is not yet a faithful slave who is established on simple knowledge alone; but whoever expresses his faith by obedience to Christ, who gave the commandments. 6. He who honors his Lord fulfills what He commands. He who has sinned or disobeyed Him suffers what he finds as what he deserves. 7. Be inquisitive and hardworking. For simple knowledge alone (γνῶσις) puffs up a person (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1). 8. Temptations that unexpectedly happen to you, according to God’s vision, teach us to be hardworking and involuntarily draw us to repentance. 9. The sorrows that befall people are the product of their own bad deeds. If we endure them in prayer, we will again find an increase in our good deeds. 10. Some, being praised for virtue, took pleasure in this and took the sweetness of their vanity as consolation. And others, being convicted of sin, became sad and considered this useful sadness to be an act of malice. 11. Those who, under the pretext of exploits, exalt themselves before the careless, think to be justified by bodily works; But we, who, establishing ourselves on knowledge alone, humiliate those who do not know, are much more insane than them. 12. Knowledge without deeds corresponding to it is still not solid, even if it is true, for every thing is confirmed by deed. 13. Often, from negligence about doing, the mind becomes darkened. For what they completely stop doing is gradually eradicated from memory. Scripture advises us to know God wisely (κατὰ γνῶσιν) so that we may faithfully serve Him in deeds. 14. When we clearly fulfill the commandments, then in accordance with this we receive what is proper from the Lord; We gain benefit from this, depending on the purpose of our intention. 15. Whoever wants to do something, but cannot, is [imputed] as having done it before God, the Knower of the Heart. This should mean both good and evil deeds. 16. The mind does a lot of good and bad even without the body; a body without a mind cannot do anything like that, for the law of freedom is known before action. 17. Some, not fulfilling the commandments, consider themselves true believers, and some, fulfilling them, expect the Kingdom as due retribution, but both of them sin against the truth. 18. A reward from the Master is not given to slaves for granted (cf. Luke 17:10) (οὐ κεχρεώστητaι). But even those who do not serve Him faithfully (ὀρθῶς) do not receive freedom. 19. If Christ died for us, according to Scripture (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3), and we live not for ourselves, but for Him who died for us and rose again (cf. 2 Cor. 5:15), then it is clear that we must serve Him until death. How can we take adoption for granted? 20. Christ is the Master in essence and the Master in discretion, since He created those who did not exist, and redeemed those who died in sin with His blood, and thus gave grace to believers. 21. When you hear the words of Scripture “he will reward everyone according to his deed” (Matthew 16:27; cf. Ps. 61:13), then it does not understand deeds that in themselves are worthy of Gehenna or the Kingdom, but the deeds of one’s own unbelief or faith, for which Christ will reward everyone, not as the One who measures things, but as God our Creator and Redeemer. 22. We, who have been rewarded with the bath of rebirth (cf. Titus 3:5), do good deeds not for the sake of reward, but to preserve the purity given to us. 23. Every good deed that we do with our natural strength removes us from the vice that is contrary to it, but without grace it cannot add sanctification to us. 24. The abstinent one avoids gluttony, the non-covetous one avoids covetousness, the silent one avoids verbosity, the pure one avoids voluptuousness, the chaste one avoids fornication, the moderate one avoids the love of money, the meek one avoids embarrassment, the humble one avoids vanity, the obedient one avoids contentiousness, the accusatory one avoids hypocrisy; In the same way, the one who prays is removed from hopelessness, the [voluntarily] beggar from avarice, the confessor from renunciation, the martyr from idolatry. You see how any virtue performed before death is nothing more than removal from sin, and removal from sin is a matter of nature, and not the price of the Kingdom 35. A person barely preserves what is natural to him; Christ, through the Cross, bestows adoption. 25. One commandment is private, and the other is general, for in one place it is commanded to give privately to the poor (cf. Luke 3:11), and in another the commandment is given to renounce all one’s possessions (cf. Matt. 19:21, Mark 10, 21, Luke 12:33; 18:22, Matt. 13, 44–46). 26. One is an action of grace, incomprehensible to a baby [due to spiritual age], and another is an action of malice [the enemy], similar to the truth. But it is good not to pay attention to such actions, so as not to fall into deception, and not to curse them, so as not to curse the truth; but [it is better] to surrender everything to God with hope, for He knows the benefit of both. 27. He who wants to cross the mental sea is long-suffering, humble, watchful, and abstains. Without these four, if he forces himself to enter it, he will only disturb his heart, but he will not be able to swim across. 28. Silence is the cutting off of evil. If you add these four virtues to prayer, then there is no better aid to dispassion. 29. It is impossible to remain silent with the mind without the body, nor to destroy their mediastinum without silence and prayer. 30. The flesh lusts after the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh (Gal.5:17); But he who walks in the Spirit does not commit the lusts of the flesh. 31. Prayer is incomplete without mental invocation. The Lord will hear the undistractedly crying thought. 32. An undistractedly praying mind oppresses the heart. But God will not despise a contrite and humble heart (Ps. 50:19). 33. And prayer is called virtue, although it is the mother of virtues, for it gives birth to them from its union with Christ. 34. Whatever we do without prayer and good hope is harmful and imperfect. 35. When you hear that the last will be first and the first will be last (Matthew 19:30), then understand this about those who have virtue and those who have love. For love is the last of the virtues in order (cf. 1 Cor. 13:13), but the first of all in dignity, and it makes those who precede itself last. 36. If, while praying or being insulted in many ways by malice, you fall into despondency, then remember the end of life and fierce torment. 37. But it is better to cleave to God with prayer and hope than to remember external things, even if they turn out to be useful. 38. No virtue alone opens our natural door, unless they all consistently depend on one another. 39. He is an intemperate person who feeds on thoughts, even if they are useful, for they cannot be more useful than hope. 40. Every sin left without repentance is a sin unto death (1 John 5:16), for which even a saint prays for another, will not be heard. 41. A truly repentant person does not believe that his work serves as a replacement for previous sins, but he propitiates God with it. 42. Everything that our nature has in itself that is good, we must do daily. What shall we render to God for the evil done before? 43. No matter how much we increase the virtue of this day, this only serves as a denunciation of our previous negligence, and not as a means of receiving reward. 44. He who is oppressed in thought, but rests in his body, is like one who suffers physically and rejoices mentally. The voluntary grief of both mutually contributes to each other: mental - bodily, and bodily - mental. Their combination is more regrettable. 45. Great virtue is to endure what befalls us and, according to the word of the Lord, to love those who hate [us] (cf. Matthew 5:44). A sign of unfeigned love is forgiveness of offenses 36. 46. ​​It is impossible to forgive someone's misdeeds from the heart without true knowledge, for it shows everyone that what befalls [him] is his own. 47. You will not lose anything from what you left for the Lord, for in due time it will return in abundance 37 . 48. When the mind forgets the purpose of piety, then the obvious practice of virtue becomes useless. 49. If bad advice is harmful to every person, then even more so to those who have chosen a strict life. 50. Philosophize in action about human advice and God’s reward, for a word is not wiser 38 than a deed. 51. Works for piety will be followed by intercession [of God]. This must be learned from the law of God and conscience. 52. One, having adopted a certain way of thinking, adopted it for himself without consideration, while the other accepted it and compared it with the truth; we must consider which of them acted more piously? 53. True knowledge consists in enduring sorrows and not blaming people for one’s misfortunes. 54. He who does good and seeks reward serves not God, but his own will. One who has sinned cannot avoid retribution except by repentance corresponding to the sin. 55. Some say: “We cannot do good unless we clearly (ἐναργῶς) receive the grace of the Holy Spirit.” Those who are always voluntarily in pleasures abandon what they can do, as if helpless. 56. Those who are baptized into Christ are mysteriously given grace; it acts as the commandments are fulfilled and does not cease to help us secretly. But it is in our power to do or not to do good according to our strength. Firstly, [grace] wonderfully awakens the conscience, from which those who did evil repented and pleased God. It also hides [sometimes] in the teaching of a neighbor, and sometimes during reading it will follow [any] thought and naturally teach the mind its truth. So, if we do not hide this talent [received] in a particular case, then we will truly enter into the joy of the Lord (cf. Matthew 25:20-25). 57. He who seeks the action (τὰς ἐνεργείας) of the [Holy] Spirit before fulfilling the commandments is like a slave bought with money, who, at the very time he was bought, seeks to have a release note written along with the bill of sale. 58. He who understood that external misfortunes happen according to the truth of God, sought the Lord and found knowledge with righteousness. 59. If you understand, according to Scripture, that throughout the whole earth the destinies of the Lord (Ps. 104:7), then every case will be for you a teacher of the knowledge of God. 60. According to everyone's thoughts, what is due is found. Only God knows the difference between decent retribution. 61. When you suffer any dishonor from people, understand that it was sent from God for your glory; and thus in dishonor you will be without sorrow or confusion, and in glory, when it comes, you will be faithful and avoid condemnation. 62. Being, by the grace of God, praised by many, do not mix anything self-praising into the Lord’s providence for you, so that you do not again fall into the opposite from change. 63. What is sown will not grow without soil and water, and a person will not receive benefit without voluntary labor and Divine help. 64. It is impossible for rain to fall without a cloud, and without a good conscience it is impossible to please God. 65. Do not refuse to learn, even if you are very wise. For God's providence is more useful than our wisdom. 66. When the heart is moved by some kind of sweetness from the place of hard work, then it, like a heavy stone rolling down, becomes uncontrollable. 67. Just as an inexperienced calf, hurrying for grass, ends up in a place surrounded by rapids, so it happens with the soul, little by little deceived by thoughts. 68. When the mind, strengthened in the Lord, distracts the soul from a long-term bad habit, then the heart is tormented, as if by executioners, by the mind and passions, dragging it here and there. 69. Just as those who swim on the sea, in the hope of profit, willingly endure the heat of the sun, so those who hate evil love reproof, for it counteracts the winds, and this counteracts the passions. 70. Just as flight in winter or on Saturday (cf. Matt. 24:20) causes illness to the body and defilement of the soul, so the rebellion of passions [causes illness] to the obsolete body and [defilement] to the sanctified soul. 71. No one is as good and merciful as the Lord, but He does not forgive the unrepentant. 72. Many of us grieve over sins, but we willingly accept the reasons for them. 73. A mole crawling underground, being blind, cannot see the stars; and he who does not believe [God] in relation to the temporal cannot believe in relation to the eternal. 74. True knowledge is given from God to people as grace before grace and teaches those who have it first of all to believe in the Giver. 75. When a sinful soul does not accept the sorrows that befall it, then the angels say about it: “The physicians of Babylon, and they were not healed” (Jer. 51:9). 76. A mind that forgets true knowledge fights with people for what is harmful to it, as if for what is useful. 77. Just as fire cannot stay long in water, so a bad thought cannot remain in a God-loving heart. since everyone who loves God is also hardworking, arbitrary labor is by nature the enemy of sweetness. 78. Passion, which was arbitrarily brought into action and nourished, after that, even against the will of the one who possesses it, it strongly rebels against him. 79. We love the causes of involuntary thoughts, that’s why they come; We obviously love the arbitrary ones and the actions themselves. 80. Conceit and pride are the causes of blasphemy; love of money and vanity are unmerciful and hypocrisy. 81. When the devil sees that the mind has prayed from the heart, then he inflicts great and intricate temptations, wanting to destroy small virtues with great attacks. 82. Obstinacy of thought exposes a person’s partiality; its rapid destruction means warfare and resistance. 83. There are three mental states into which the mind enters from change: natural, supernatural and unnatural. When he enters the natural state, then he finds himself guilty of evil thoughts and confesses his sins to God, recognizing the causes of passions. When he is in an unnatural state, he forgets the truth of God and rebels against people as those who offend him. When he is brought into a supernatural state, then he feels in himself the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which, according to the Apostle, are love, joy, peace, etc. (Gal. 5:22,23), and knows that if he prefers bodily care, he cannot remain there and, having left this state, falls into sin and the misadventures that follow, if not soon, then in due time, as the truth of God knows. 84. Everyone’s knowledge is true to the extent that it is confirmed by meekness, humility and love. 85. Everyone who has been baptized in the Orthodox faith has mysteriously received all grace. He is convinced of this as he fulfills the commandments. 86. The commandment of Christ, fulfilled according to conscience, provides consolation for many heart diseases; however, each of them comes in its own time. 87. Pray constantly (ἔχε παράμονον δέησιν) in every matter, so as not to do anything without God’s help. 88. There is nothing stronger than prayer in action; and there is nothing more useful than it for pleasing God. 89. All fulfillment of the commandments is contained in it. For there is nothing higher than the love of God. 90. Undistracted prayer is a sign of love for God who abides in it; carelessness about it and entertainment is a sign of voluptuousness. 91. He who endures painless vigil, endures long-suffering and prays, is obviously a partaker of the Holy Spirit. And if someone is burdened by this, but endures it of his own free will, then he too will soon receive help from above. 92. One commandment is higher than another; so faith is stronger than faith. There is faith by hearing (Rom.10:17), according to the apostle, and there is faith by giving hope to those who hope (Heb.11:1). 93. It is good to use words to benefit those who ask, but it is better to help them with prayer and virtue. For he who offers himself to God, helping himself, also helps his neighbor 39 . 94. If you want to benefit someone who is inquisitive with gentle words, point him to prayer, right faith and patience in those who find [sorrows]. For all other good things are found through this. 95. If anyone has placed his trust in God, he no longer quarrels with his neighbor about it. 96. If everything involuntary comes from the voluntary, according to Scripture, then there is no such enemy for a person as he is to himself. 97. Every evil is preceded by ignorance, and the second after it is unbelief. 98. Avoid temptation through patience and prayer. If you resist it without this, it will attack more strongly. 99. He who is meek according to God is wiser than the wise, and he who is humble in heart is stronger than the mighty, for they wisely bear the yoke of Christ (cf. Matthew 11:29). 100. What we say or do without prayer later becomes either sinful or harmful and exposes us through deeds in a way unknown to us. 101. Only One is righteous by deeds, words and thoughts, but many are righteous by faith, grace and repentance 40 . 102. Just as it is impossible for a repentant person to be arrogant, so it is impossible for someone who sins arbitrarily to be humble. 103. Humility is not condemnation (κατάγνωσις) of conscience, but knowledge (ἐπίγνωσις) of the grace of God and His mercy. 104. What a sensual house is for air spilled everywhere (τῷ κοινῷ), so is the spiritual mind (λογικός) 41 for Divine grace. 105. To the extent that you free [the mind] from matter, so much will [grace] enter; and as much substance as you add to it, so much will be removed. 106. Household substances – vessels and foodstuffs; and the substance of the mind is vanity and sweetness. 107. The space of the heart is hope in God, and its tightness is care for the body. 108. The grace of the Spirit is one and unchangeable, but it acts in each individual specifically as it pleases (cf. 1 Cor. 12:11). 109. Just as rain poured onto the earth gives plants their characteristic quality: sweet ones - sweetness, hard ones - hardness, so grace entering the hearts of the faithful, without changing, bestows powers corresponding to virtues (ἐνεργείας). To the hungry for Christ's sake it is food, to the thirsty - the sweetest drink, to the chilly - clothing, to the laboring - peace, to the praying - confirmation, and to the weeping - consolation. 110. So, when you hear the words of Scripture about the Holy Spirit, that He descended on each of the apostles (see: Acts 2:3), or that He ascended on the prophet (see: 1 Samuel 10:10), or that He acts, is offended, quenched, irritated, and also that some have the firstfruits of the Spirit, others are filled with the Holy Spirit, then do not understand in the Spirit any fragmentation, or transformation, or change, but believe as we said before, that He is immutable, unchangeable and omnipotent. Therefore, He remains in His actions what He is, and He bestows on everyone what is proper to God. For He, like the sun, poured out completely upon those who were baptized; but each of us is enlightened to the extent that, having hated the darkening passions, he rejects them; and to the extent that he loves them and thinks about them, he becomes darkened. 111. He who hates passions also cuts off their causes; and whoever remains with the causes that produce them, even though he does not want to, is overcome by passions. 112. When we are subject to the action of evil thoughts, we must blame ourselves, and not the ancestral sin. 113. The roots of thoughts are obvious vices, which we always defend with our hands, feet, and lips. 114. It is impossible for someone to bow down to passion in thought if he does not love its causes. For who, despising shame, indulges in vanity? Or who, loving humiliation, is embarrassed by dishonor? Who, having a contrite and humble heart (Ps. 50:19), will accept carnal pleasure? Or who, believing Christ completely (cf. Heb. 12:2), cares about temporary things or quarrels about them? 115. He who, being despised by someone, does not quarrel either in word or thought with the one who despises him, has acquired true knowledge and shows firm faith in the Lord. 116. The sons of humanity are deceitful in their merileh, and they do not tell the truth (Ps. 61:10), while God prepares for everyone what he should do in truth. 117. If neither the one who offends has any gain, nor the one who is offended has any deprivation, then a man walks like this, but is troubled in vain (Ps. 38:7). 118. If you see that someone, being in a variety of dishonor, grieves about this, then know that he, sated with thoughts of vanity, with unpleasantness reaps sheaves of heart seeds. 119. He who enjoys bodily pleasures more than appropriate will reward their excess with sorrows a hundredfold. 120. The superior is obliged to tell the novice what is due; and when he disobeys him, then foretell to him the sorrows that are sent for this. 121. He who is offended by someone and does not exact this from the one who offends him believes in Christ and will receive a hundredfold for this in this age and will inherit eternal life (Mark 10:30). 122. The memory of God is the pain of the heart for piety; Anyone who forgets God is voluptuous and insensitive. 123. Do not say that the dispassionate cannot grieve. For if not about himself, then he must do this about his neighbor. 124. When the enemy collects many records of sins committed in oblivion, then he forces the debtor to do them not even in oblivion, as if by right, taking advantage of the sinful law. 125. If you want to constantly remember God, then do not reject misfortunes as being unfair, but endure them as justly befalling [you]. For their patience awakens memory on every occasion, and their rejection weakens mental reasoning and, through relaxation [of the body], produces oblivion. 126. If you want the Lord to cover your sins, then do not show people any virtue, if you have any. For what we do with our virtues is what God does with our sins. 127. Having hidden virtue, do not rise up as if you were doing righteousness. For truth does not consist only in hiding good deeds, but also in not thinking about anything forbidden. 128. Do not rejoice when you do good to someone (εὖ), but when you endure the subsequent resistance without rancor. For as nights follow days, so vices follow virtues. 129. Vanity, love of money and lust will not leave a good deed undefiled if they are not first destroyed by the fear of God. 130. Hidden in involuntary sorrows is the mercy of God, which draws the one enduring them to repentance and delivers them from eternal torment. 131. Some, fulfilling the commandments, expect that they will be weighed against their sins on the scales, while others propitiate with them the One who died for their sins. It is necessary to test: which of them has a fair way of thinking? 132. The fear of Gehenna and the love of the Kingdom give patience in sorrows. And this is not from ourselves, but from Him who knows our thoughts. 133. A believer in the future withdraws from the pleasures here without prohibition; but the unbeliever indulges in pleasures and is insensitive. 134. Do not say: “How can a poor person indulge in luxury without having the means to do so?” For others may even more miserably live in luxury with thoughts alone. 135. One is knowledge of things, and another is knowledge of truth. As different as the sun is from the moon, the second is more useful than the first. Knowledge of things is obtained in proportion to the fulfillment of the commandments, while knowledge of the truth is obtained in proportion to hope in Christ. If you want to be saved and come into the mind (ἐπίγνωσιν) of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4), then try to always rise above the sensory and cling to God with one hope. Thus, by forcing yourself to deviate [from the sensual], you will meet principles and powers that wage war with you with the battles of thoughts; but, defeating them through prayer and remaining trustworthy, you will have the grace of God, which will deliver you from future wrath (cf. Matt. 3:7). 136. Whoever understands the mysterious saying of St. Paul that we fight against spiritual malice (Eph. 6:12), will also understand the parable of the Lord, in which He said that we must always pray and not lose heart (see: Luke 18:1). 137. The law of transformation (τυπικῶς) commands to work for six days, and to celebrate on the seventh (cf. Deut. 5:13,14). since the work of the soul is to do good with possessions, that is, by deeds, its abolition and peace is to sell everything and give to the poor (see: Luke 18:22), according to the word of the Lord, and, having calmed down through such non-covetousness, to remain in mental hope. Paul encourages us to enter into this rest with diligence, saying: “Let us strive to enter into that rest” (Heb. 4:11). Having said this, we do not conclude the future and do not assert that there will be universal reward here, but that we must first have in the heart the active grace of the Holy Spirit and thus, as it acts in us, enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Revealing this, the Lord said: “The kingdom of heaven is within you” (Luke 17:21). The apostle said the same thing: “Faith is the knowledge of those who hope” (Heb. 11:1); and again: “In this way you will comprehend” (1 Cor. 9:24); and again: “Test yourselves, if you are in the faith, or do not know that Jesus Christ lives in you, unless you are unskilled” (2 Cor. 13:5). 138. He who knows the truth does not resist sorrowful adventures. For he knows that they lead a person to the fear of God. 139. Previous sins, being remembered in appearance, harm the trustworthy. For if they bring sadness with them, they remove them from hope, and when they present themselves without sadness, they bring back the old defilement. 140. When the mind, through renunciation of vices, acquires mental hope, then the enemy, under the pretext of confession, depicts former vices, so that passions, consigned to oblivion by the grace of God, may ignite and secretly harm a person. For then both the bright 42 and the passion-hating [mind] will of necessity become darkened, embarrassed by the [sins] committed. And if he is still gloomy and voluptuous, then he will delay in every possible way and will biasedly talk with the attacks of thoughts (προσβολαῖς), so that this memory will not be a confession of sins, but a representation of previous sinful impressions (πρόληψιν). If you want to bring an uncondemned confession to God, then do not remember sinful changes (παρατροπάς) by their appearance, but courageously endure the sorrows that come for them. 141. Sorrows are found for former sins, bringing with them something akin to each sin. 142. A person who is reasonable (γνωστικός) and has known the truth confesses to God not by remembering what he has done, but by being patient with the [misadventures] that befall him. 143. Having rejected heartache (about sins) and dishonor, do not promise to bring repentance through other virtues, for vanity and insensibility know how to serve sin through just deeds. 144. Just as virtue is usually born from sorrows and dishonor, so vice is from pleasures and vanity. 145. Every bodily sweetness comes from the previous repose [of the body], and repose is born from unbelief. 146. He who is under sin cannot alone overcome the carnal will, 43 for he has a constant kindling contained in his members. 147. Passionate people must remain in prayer and obedience, for even with the help of [a mentor] one can hardly fight with one’s former sinful habits. 148. He who voluntarily strives with obedience and prayer is a skilled ascetic, clearly demonstrating the mental struggle by withdrawing from the sensory. 149. He who does not agree his will with the will of God encounters obstacles in his undertakings and is subject to enemies. 150. When you see two wicked people who have love for each other, then know that they assist each other in fulfilling [their] will. 151. The high-wise and the vain willingly deal with each other, for the one praises the vain, who slavishly humiliates himself before him, and the other magnifies the high-wise, who constantly praises. 152. A truth-loving listener finds truth on both sides 44. If [people] testify to his good [deeds], then he becomes more zealous for them, and if they expose him to evil deeds, then he is forced to repent. 153. We must lead our lives in accordance with [spiritual] success and, depending on our life, we must offer prayers to God. 154. It is good to adhere to the main commandment and not to worry about anything in particular, not to pray for anything in particular, but only to seek the Kingdom (cf. Matt. 6:33), according to the word of the Lord. And if we still take care of every need, then we must pray for each one, for whoever does something or cares about something without prayer does not receive success in completing his work. About this the Lord said: “You cannot do anything without Me (John 15:5). 155. Whoever neglects the commandment to pray suffers the gravest crimes (παρακοαί) 45 which send him like a prisoner from one to another. 156. He who endures present sorrows with the hope of receiving future benefits has acquired the knowledge of the truth and will conveniently get rid of anger and sadness. 157. He who suffers insult and dishonor for the truth follows the apostolic path, bearing the cross and wearing chains (cf. Acts 28:20). And whoever, without this, tries to listen to the heart, goes astray with his mind and falls into temptations and the snares of the devil. 158. Neither evil thoughts separately from their causes, nor causes separately from thoughts can be defeated by someone who fights with them. For if we reject one thing separately, then a little later through the other we will possess both. 159. Whoever, out of fear of suffering and reproach, fights with people, either here suffers greatly from the misfortunes that befall him, or in the next century he suffers without mercy. 160. Whoever wants to ward off every misfortune must, through prayer, reconcile [his] affairs with God and mentally have hope in Him, and neglect the care of the sensory as much as possible. 161. When the devil finds a person unnecessarily engaged in bodily affairs, he first steals his knowledge as prey, and then, as his head, cuts off his hope in God. 162. When you reach the stronghold of pure prayer, then do not accept the understanding of things brought at that time from the enemy, so as not to lose more to you. For it is better to wound him with the arrows of prayer, imprisoned somewhere below, than to talk with him when he brings us harmful [thoughts] and manages to distract us from the prayer [performed] against him. 163. Understanding things during temptation can be useful for a person, but during pure 46 prayer it usually harms. 164. If your lot has fallen to teach about the Lord, 47 and you are disobeyed, then grieve about this mentally and do not be openly embarrassed. For, while grieving, you will not be condemned with the disobedient, but when you are embarrassed, you will be subject to temptation in the same matter. 165. When presenting the teaching (ἐξηγήσεως), do not hide from those present what is proper for them; what is decent, state it more clearly, but what they cannot contain (τὰ σκληρά), then offer it mysteriously. 166. Do not accuse someone who is not subordinate to you of wrongdoing, for this is more a matter of power than of advice. 167. What is said [in general] in a plural number is useful to everyone, for conscience will indicate to each his own 48 . 168. He who speaks the truth (ὀρθῶς) must himself, as it were, receive words from God. For truth (ἀλήθεια) does not belong to the speaking man, but to the acting God. 169. Do not have an argument with those who oppose the truth, who do not submit to you voluntarily, so as not to arouse in them hatred [toward yourself], according to Scripture (cf. Proverbs 10:12). 170. Whoever allows a novice to contradict himself where he should not, deceives him in this matter and allows him to reject the vows of obedience. 171. Whoever, with the fear of God, admonishes and instructs someone who sins [in something], acquires for himself a virtue that is opposite to [this] sin. And the one who is vindictive and unkindly reproaches him falls, according to the spiritual law, into the same passion as him. 172. He who has learned the law well fears the Lawgiver and, trusting in Him, 49 avoids all evil. 173. Do not be bilingual, that is, have a different attitude in words and a different attitude in conscience. For such, according to Scripture, is subject to damnation (cf. Sir.28:15). 174. Some speak the truth and are hated for this by fools, according to the word of the Apostle; Some people are hypocrites and are loved for it, but none of these rewards last long. for the Lord will give each one his due in due time. 175. He who wishes to ward off future disasters must endure the present ones with joy. For in this way, mentally changing one thing for another, through small sorrows he will avoid great torment. 176. Protect the mind (λόγον) from self-praise and the thought (λογισμόν) from a high opinion of yourself, so as not to be allowed to do the opposite, for good is not accomplished by one person, but with the help of the all-seeing God. 177. The All-Seeing God determines a worthy reward for our deeds, as well as for our thoughts and arbitrary understandings. 178. Involuntary thoughts are born from preliminary sin, and voluntary thoughts from autocratic will. Therefore the latter are the cause of the former. 179. Evil thoughts that occur against [our] intention will be followed by sadness, which is why they quickly disappear; but to those who happen by choice, joy will follow, which is why it is difficult to get rid of them. 180. The lover of voluptuousness grieves because of reproaches and suffering, but the lover of God grieves because of praise and excess. 181. He who does not know the destinies of God follows with his mind the path that runs between rapids, and is conveniently overthrown by every wind: being praised, he is proud; being reproached, he becomes upset; enjoying food, he is carried away by bodily passion; cries in misery; knowing something, he exposes himself and, not understanding, pretends to understand; getting rich, boasting; being in poverty, he is a hypocrite; having had enough, he becomes bold and, while fasting, becomes vain; He loves to argue with those who accuse him and looks at those who offer him forgiveness as unreasonable. So, if anyone, through the grace of Christ, does not acquire the knowledge of truth and the fear of God, he will be severely wounded not only by passions, but also by external circumstances. 182. If you want to resolve an incomprehensible matter, then seek about it what pleases God, and then you will find a useful solution about it. 183. In matters in which God favors, the whole creation also assists [man]; in the same way, those deeds from which He turns away are opposed by the whole creation. 184. Whoever resists the sorrows that befall him, without knowing it himself, resists the command of God. And whoever accepts them with true knowledge, according to Scripture, endures the Lord (cf. Ps. 26:14). 185. When a [sorrowful] temptation befalls you, then do not seek why and why it came; but [try] to bear it somehow with gratitude, without sadness and rancor. 186. Someone else’s evil does not add to sin unless we perceive it with evil thoughts. 187. If it is difficult to find [a person] who has pleased God without temptation, then we must thank God for every case [that we encounter]. 188. If Peter had not abandoned the night fishing, he would not have received success in the daytime (cf. Luke 5:4-6). And if Paul had not been blinded sensually, he would not have received his sight spiritually (πνευματικῶς) 50 . If Stephen had not been slandered as a blasphemer, he would not have seen God in the opened heavens (cf. Acts 7:54–56). 189. Just as doing according to God is called virtue, so unexpected sorrow is called temptation. 190. God tempted Abraham (cf. Gen. 22:1; Heb. 11:17), that is, sent him tribulations for his own benefit, not in order to find out what he was like, for he who knew everything before being knew him, but to give him a reason for perfect faith. 191. Every sorrow reveals where our will bends, to the good or bad side. Therefore, random sorrow is called temptation, because it serves as a test for the person subjected to it to test his innermost desires. 192. The fear of God compels us to fight vice, and when we fight, the Lord destroys it. 193. Wisdom consists not only in learning the truth naturally, but also in enduring evil from those who offend us as if it were our own. For those who remain in the first fall into pride, and those who achieve the second acquire humility. 194. If you want not to be bothered by evil thoughts, then accept humiliation of the soul and bodily sorrow, and not in part, but at all times, in all places and in all matters. 195. Whoever is voluntarily (ἑκουσίως) punished with sorrows will not have involuntary (ἀκουσίων) thoughts. And whoever does not accept the former becomes a prisoner of the latter, even without wanting to. 196. When your insides and heart are irritated by resentment, do not grieve over the fact that what was previously lying inside carefully began to move, but joyfully cast down the thoughts that have arisen, knowing that if you destroy them at the first attack, then the evil movement will be destroyed along with them; and from the multiplication of thoughts, evil usually receives an increase. 197. Without contrition of the heart it is impossible to completely get rid of evil, and the heart is contrite from threefold abstinence: from sleep, I say, food and bodily rest. For the excess of these produces voluptuousness, and voluptuousness receives evil thoughts and opposes prayer and decent service. 198. Having received the lot to command the brethren, maintain the dignity of your [title] and because of those who disagree, do not keep silent about what is due. In whatever they are obedient, you will receive a reward for their virtue; If they do not listen, then forgive them completely, and you will receive the same from Him who said: “Let go, and it will be forgiven you” (Luke 6:37). 199. Every case is like trade: he who knows how to do it gains a lot, but he who does not know how suffers a loss. 200. If someone does not obey because of one word, do not force him by arguing, but take advantage of the acquisition that he rejected. For gentleness will bring you more benefit than correcting it. 201. When harm from one person spreads to many, then one should not be long-suffering and seek not one’s own benefit, but the salvation of many. since general virtue is more useful than private virtue. 202. If anyone falls into any sin and does not grieve according to it, he will easily fall into the same snare again. 203. Just as a lioness does not meet a calf on friendly terms, so shamelessness does not accept sorrow for God with love. 204. Just as a sheep and a wolf do not come together to give birth, so heartache does not combine with satiety to conceive virtues. 205. No one can have illness and sorrow for God if he does not first love the reasons for them. 206. Fear of God and inner self-reproof give rise to sadness, and abstinence and vigilance are combined with illness. 207. He who does not correct himself from the commandments and teachings of Scripture will be persecuted with the whip of a horse and the goad of a donkey. And if he rejects this, then his jaws will be tied with reins and bridles. 208. He who is easily overcome by small temptations will inevitably be enslaved by great ones; and he who despises the small will oppose the great in the Lord. 209. Do not try to use reproaches to benefit someone who boasts of virtues, for whoever loves to show off himself cannot be a lover of the truth. 210. Every word of Christ reveals the mercy, truth and wisdom of God and imparts their power through the ear to those who listen willingly. Therefore, the unmerciful and unrighteous, reluctantly listening to him, could not understand the wisdom of God, and even the One who taught it was crucified. So, we must see whether we willingly listen to Him. For He said; “He who loves Me will keep My commandments, and will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and appear to him Myself” (cf. John 14:15,21). Do you see how He hid His appearance in the commandments? 211. All commandments are contained in love for God and neighbor, which is achieved by withdrawal from material things and silence of thoughts. Knowing this, the Lord commands us, saying: “Do not worry about food” (Matthew 6:34). Yes, and fair enough. For one who has not freed himself from material things and from caring about them, how can he free himself from evil thoughts? And how can one who is possessed by thoughts see the essential (ἐνυπόστατον) sin hiding underneath them, which is darkness and darkness of the soul and receives its origin from evil thoughts and deeds, so that the devil tempts [a person] without coercion with one attack, showing only the beginning [of evil], and a person, out of voluptuousness and vanity, willingly combines with him? For although according to his reasoning he did not want this, he enjoyed it and accepted it. If he does not recognize this common (περιεκτικήν) 51 sin, then when will he pray for it in order to be cleansed from it? And without purification, how will one find the place of pure nature? If he does not find it, how will he see the inner house of Christ (cf. Heb. 3:6)? For we are the house of God, according to the prophetic, evangelical and apostolic word (see: Ezek. 37, 27; Zech. 2:10; John 14:23; 1 Cor. 3:16). So, we must search in the order shown above in order to find this house and, being in prayer, knock (see: Matt. 7:7), so that either here, or at death, the Master will open it to us and so that he does not say to those who are careless: “We do not know where you come from” (Luke 13:25). But we must not only ask and receive, but also preserve what is given to us, for some have lost it even after receiving it. Therefore, both those who started studying late and those who were young may have simple knowledge of the above-mentioned subjects and occasional experience in them; and even the pious and experienced elders hardly have long-term work with patience, who often lost it through inattention and again sought and found it through voluntary labor. And so let us not cease to do this until we acquire it [doing] inalienably. These are the justifications of the spiritual law. We have learned a few of the many, to whom the great psalmist constantly advises to learn and practice them, often singing (ψάλλοντας) about the Lord 52, to whom belongs glory and power and worship now and forever. Amen. Word three. About repentance, always and everything necessary, with the power of action that the faithful received through the grace of baptism even before doing it 53 Our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Power and Wisdom (cf. 1 Cor. 1:24), is godly, as He Himself knows, providing for the salvation of all and through various commands having established the law of freedom, indicated one decent intention for everyone, saying: “Repent.” From this very thing we can know that all the variety of commandments flows towards one limit of repentance, which the Lord first of all commanded to the apostles, saying: “Speak to them [i.e. people]: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is drawing near” (Matthew 4:17), not at all meaning by this the temporary approach of His Kingdom, as if soon to come for the world. Truth could not determine anything inconsistent with reality, for we see that both those who lived then and those who came after them died without being involved in the universal end. He said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is drawing near,” meaning by this that His word has the power of the Kingdom and repentance. For if we do not agree to understand this in this way, then how is the Kingdom of Heaven like kvass, which the wife took hidden in sateh [i.e. measures] of three flours until everything was leavened (Matthew 13:33, Luke 13:21)? Does this not mean that the mind, having received the word of the Lord within itself, hid it in a three-component being, i.e., according to the Apostle, body, spirit and soul, and in thoughts all the subtleties of them, like flour scattered in various ways, gathered it into one leaven of faith, expecting in everything to become like the word active [in it]. In the same way, the Lord likened the word of truth to a mustard seed, which, being small when it is planted in the hearts of those who hear, but then growing in conformity with action, like a great tree standing on an elevated place, becomes [according to Scripture] a house of refuge for approaching thoughts. And this could really be so when He called the apostles pure because of the word (see: John 15:3), which they heard and put into action the power that came with the word, and through this they became pure. For the word of God is living and active (Heb. 4:12). Therefore, he condemned those who did not engage in such intercourse as infidels, saying: “If he had not come and spoken to them, they would have had no sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin” (John 15:22). 2. We said this not as those who do not believe in the future Kingdom, which will certainly come in its own and uncertain times, but because the word of the Lord contains in itself the same power of the Kingdom, constituting for the faithful [according to Scripture] those who hope (Heb. 11:1), the betrothal of a future inheritance, the firstfruits of eternal blessings, for the unfaithful and wicked - an intolerable denunciation of godlessness. Therefore [the Lord] says: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is drawing near.” So, if the word of those who hear only it shows the deeds of the debtors, carrying in the heart [along with themselves] the power of the predicate, then what will we be subjected to, having rejected the power that has come to us not only of words, but also of many and great blessings, and not only one talent, but also five, and hiding two in the earth bodily, having abused the blessings of the Lord; while the dumb [decently], being benefited, obey their leader, as much as they have the natural strength to do so. And to the extent that the very ferocity of animals changes through their obedience to their benefactor, to that extent we, above all animals, honored by autocracy, turned out to be more ferocious and unreasonable than animals. For they willingly draw close to each other, and therefore, when they graze together, each is content with what has happened and, without envy, leaves to the other what is in front of him; We, destined to rule and dominate the dumb, preferred malice to natural properties, so that even without any motivating reason compelling us, we find ourselves unmerciful and envious towards those of our own tribe. These, I believe, John [the Baptist] called snakes, brood of vipers (Matthew 3:7, Luke 3:7, cf. also: Matthew 23:33), who in repentance found the means to avoid future wrath, urging them to create fruits worthy of it (cf. Matthew 3:7,8) and commanding them to use two garments. give one to the poor, and also in relation to food (cf. Luke 3:11). If, before [the knowledge of] faith, those who did not understand their due for their lack of compassion were likened to snakes, then to sin without fear after receiving faith, and knowledge, and gifts would be such an evil, for which we will not find even a similarity. 3. And therefore, leaving behind the secret things that everyone has the power to do mentally, I will only say that we are cunning, being annoyed with each other, especially against those whom we consider to have offended us, not treating either the small or the great according to God. For we rise above the little-known or the poorest obviously, desiring to possess them as mercenaries or slaves, and defending our nobility no longer in Christ, but in the flesh and wealth. So, when we see that one of our superiors is sinning, then, not daring to reprove him, we say to those who happened: “For it is written: “Before the time you judge nothing, until the Lord comes” (1 Cor. 4:5). But when we find some small reason for the humble [lower ones], we immediately attack, wanting to speak out, and say: “It is written: “Rebuke him who sins before everyone” (1 Tim. 5:20). And thus, with the testimony of Scripture, we maliciously cover up our hypocrisy or malice, and as if we are reproaching them according to God. This is how we treat our lower selves; We immediately turn away from those who are equal to us for any minor faults, plotting all sorts of intrigues for revenge, and not before reconciling with them until our desire is fulfilled. By grasping at such an excuse and rejoicing as if it were good, we thereby cover up our wickedness. After we have taken revenge and fulfilled our malice, then we talk more lovingly with them, making the former victory through evil the basis of our second love. But it is necessary that the subsequent work be like the foundation; and the one who wants to win like this will [certainly] again begin to seek discord, because love can never remain with him without quarrel; discord is always inherited by hatred, as the divine Scripture says: “Hatred stirs up strife” (Proverbs 10:12). This illness befalls those who seek primacy in glory and acquisitions, just as the ruler (πρώτῳ) of the island suffered from stomach pain (δυσεντέριον) (see: Acts 28:7,8). Blessed Paul now heals this illness, saying: “By humility of mind, giving honor to one another” (Phil. 2:3). This is how we are positioned in relation to our inferiors and equals. Our deceit against the strongest, which is hidden and varied, is inconvenient to neither express nor comprehend, for we do not treat the highest [well] in fulfillment of the commandment, being affectionate only to those whom we cannot offend, and with an envious eye we look with regret at their well-being, and do not even like to hear a story about the well-being of their lives; and, caressing them with a look and peaceful words, in our thoughts we are disposed towards them in a completely opposite way, so that what has been said is fulfilled over us: those who speak peace with their neighbors, but evil in their hearts (Ps. 27:3). 4. We said this about those who are carried away unwillingly, wanting to show that those who sin arbitrarily are still outside [the good path] and awkwardly bow to repentance. For how can it be said that they sin involuntarily, when they do not want, in order to obtain remission of sins, to fulfill the word of Saint Daniel: “Atone for your sins with alms, and atone for your iniquities with generous generosity [of the poor]” (Dan. 4:24)? But perhaps you will say: “I don’t have money, how can I spare the poor?” If you don’t have money, but you have desires, renounce them and use them to do good. Can't you do good with your bodily hand? Do good with your right will: if your brother sins against you, forgive him (Luke 17:3), according to the word of the Lord; and this will constitute a great charity for you. If we seek forgiveness of sins from God, then we must do the same for every sin regarding everyone, so that what is said [in the Gospel] may be fulfilled: “Forgive, and it will be forgiven you” (Luke 6:37). It is a great thing if someone, having money, gives to the poor; to have mercy on our neighbors in their sins [against us] is to the extent that the soul, by its nature, is more honest than the body. If we, asking God for forgiveness [of sins] and having repeatedly received what we asked for, so that for the sake of this we did not suffer any evil here, and do not want to make our neighbors partakers of this gift, then through this very thing we become like that evil servant, who, having received from his Master the forgiveness of a debt - a darkness talent - did not forgive his neighbor, who only owed him a hundred fines; with whom the Lord, as if judging according to the law, said: “Evil servant, he has forgiven you all your debt, even though you begged Me; Isn’t it appropriate for you to have mercy on your minion and forgive him the debt, just as I had mercy on you?” And having become angry, it is said, he betrayed him to his tormentor until he repaid all his debt. And he draws a conclusion from this, saying: “So will My Heavenly Father do to you, if you do not let each of your brothers let their sins go from your hearts” (Matthew 18:32-35). For the same reason, and in another place, those who have been enriched by him with various benefits and who have an unmerciful and uncompassionate disposition are called worthy of pity, saying: “Woe to you who are rich, because you receive your consolation” (Luke 6:24); for truly our wealth is the abundance of the various gifts we receive; woe to us that, having begged [God] and being repeatedly shown mercy, we ourselves, begged by others, have not had mercy on anyone, but we will accept our consolation. 5. Having spoken about the rich, [the Lord] does not blame everyone who became rich, for among them there are those who actually know how to dispose of wealth according to the will of God who gave it and, according to Scripture, who receive it a hundredfold in this life, such as blessed Abraham and righteous Job, who, being merciful, became even more rich both here and in the next century; but he condemns, as we said above, those who, having a covetous disposition, appropriate to themselves the gifts of God either in relation to [material] possessions or in His various bounties and do not want to be merciful to their neighbor. For it is not the property given from the Lord that harms the one who possesses it, but the covetousness that comes from unrighteousness and its mother, unmercifulness, which, completely avoiding, the firm believers have completely renounced real blessings, not because they foolishly hated God’s creation, but out of faith in Christ, who commanded them to do so, receiving from Him the satisfaction of their daily needs. Someone can become rich even without possessions, having in covetousness a word, or knowledge, or some other means of showing mercy, generally given to everyone, for he receives it in order to give it to the poor. If he is unkind to his neighbor, woe to him [as stated above], for he will accept his own consolation. Likewise, the holy Apostle James says this to those who are becoming rich: “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your fierce sorrows that are coming upon you”; and exhorting us to weep and weep, encourages us to repentance. Knowing that this passion [covetousness] is not easily overcome by the most diligent effort, he says: “Cast away your wealth” (James 5:1,2), so to speak, it is worthless if it is not taught to others; and many of us have this wealth in addition to estates, having buried covetousness in our mental cages, like gold. This is what the prophet speaks about more clearly: “My wounds have become stale and rotten” (Ps. 37:6), meaning by the word “wounds” an unkind and covetous disposition, and by the words “they have become stale and rotten,” meaning negligence that continues even to death, as if a kind of stench and decay. For some of us are ready to hide our property in the ground rather than transfer it to the poor. When death approaches, then such an ulcer grows stinking in the soul, as the cause of rottenness and madness, and, remaining an eternal wound in it, does not allow it to enter the Heavenly Kingdom of the firstborn, as the law commands about those who have vice. 6. But isn’t it time to expose the most severe wounds and show them to the Physician of our souls; for whereas Saint Paul said: “Let your abundance be in theirs their deprivation” (2 Cor. 8:14), we do the opposite of this: we steal the deprivation of the poor and add it to our abundance. We do the same even without possessions, when we sin in something against our brother and not only leave him [in grief at us] without healing, but even the apology that we owed him, we force ourselves to obtain from him, doing this nothing more than what was said above: we add their deprivation to our excess, so to speak, contrary to Scripture. But therefore we should not despair yet. Let this not happen! For we are condemned not for a multitude of evils, but for the fact that we do not want to repent and recognize the miracles of Christ, as the Truth itself testifies: “Do you think,” says [the Lord], “that these Galileans, whose blood Pilate mixed with their sacrifices, were more sinners than all men on earth? Neither, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will perish. And they are eighteen, and the pillar of Siloam fell on them and beat them, do you remember that they were more sinners than all the people living in Jerusalem? Neither, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will perish” (Luke 13:2–5). Do you see that we are condemned because we have no repentance? Repentance, as I believe, is not limited either by time or by any deeds, but is accomplished through the commandments of Christ, in proportion to them. Some commandments are more general, which contain many of the particular ones and cut off many parts of vice at a time, as, for example, in Scripture it is said: “Give to everyone who asks you, and do not torture from him who takes yours” (Luke 6:30) and: “Do not turn away anyone who wants a loan from you” (Matthew 5:42) - these are the essence of private commandments. The general one, which contains them in itself: “Sell what you have and give to the poor (Matthew 19:21) and, taking up your cross, walk after Me” (Mark 10:21), meaning by the cross the patience of the sorrows that befall us. For he who gave everything to the poor and took up his cross fulfilled all the above commandments at once. In the same way [it is said]: “I want,” says [the apostle], “that men may pray in every place, lifting up the hands of the saints” (1 Tim. 2:8); and the general thing about this [Lord] is: “Go into your cage and pray to your Father who is in secret” (Matthew 6:6); and again: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). He who entered his cell and prayed unceasingly, in this very thing, completely concluded the prayer offered in every place. It is also said: “Do not commit sexual immorality, do not commit adultery, do not kill,” and the like; and the general thing about this: casting down the thoughts, and every exaltation charged to the mind of God (Luke 18:20; 2 Cor. 10:4,5). He who casts down thoughts has put a barrier to all the above-mentioned vices. Therefore, those who love God and are firm believers compel themselves to obey the general commandments, not abandoning the private ones that occur on occasion. 7. Therefore, I believe that the work of repentance is accomplished by the following three virtues: purification of thoughts, unceasing prayer and patience with the sorrows that befall us - and all this should be done not only outwardly, but also in mental action, so that those who have labored for a long time become dispassionate through this. And since the work of repentance, as our word indicated, cannot be accomplished without the three above-mentioned virtues, then I believe that repentance is always appropriate for everyone who wants to be saved, sinners and righteous, for there is no limit of perfection that would not require the practice of the above-mentioned virtues: through them, beginners acquire an introduction to piety, intermediates gain success in it, and perfect ones gain confirmation in it. Because these virtues do not cease either with time or with the consciousness of one’s righteous deeds; unless it is malice that comes from unreason, when someone easily bows to sweets and, under the pretext that there is no longer hope [for salvation], remains in voluptuousness, accepts the wisdom of the Novatians and rejects repentance; although this is confirmed by the apostle, who, speaking to the Jews who sinned arbitrarily and were baptized every day, says: “The foundation of repentance is not laid on dead works, and faith in God, baptisms of teaching (Heb. 6: 1, 2). But the apostle did not say this because he rejected repentance, as they say, not at all! And wanting to teach that in every act of repentance there is one foundation - baptism into Christ, so that those who believe from the circumcision are not baptized every day, which is why he adds: “For it is impossible for those who have been enlightened by one, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have been partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the power of the age to come, and have fallen away again to be renewed to repentance” (Heb. 6:4-6), knowing that in all repentance there is one renewal and foundation - holy baptism. And a little lower he also says: “For it is the will of those who sin for us, after we receive the understanding of truth, for those who do not find a sacrifice for sins” (Heb. 10:26). 8. And since what was said, in fact, is appropriate where these matters are, it is obvious that he speaks not only to the Jews, but also to all those who sin arbitrarily, of whom the first are those who say that after baptism there is no repentance, and for this reason, deviating spontaneously, commit lawlessness. Saint Paul spoke these first words afterwards and, as I believe, he did this with good intention, so that the meaning of the words would be clear to the reverent, through the study of the Scriptures, but incomprehensible to the most careless and despisers, so that they would not sin without fear under the pretext of future repentance. since some, under the pretext of repentance, deliberately remain in evil, while others, not believing that there is repentance, fell into despair and gave themselves up to the devil, and for both of them this passion is evil and incurable, then the Truth offers everyone decent assistance, saying: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is drawing near” (Matthew 4:17), so that even the spiritual, and those who were successful did not neglect this command, not leaving without attention even the most subtle and small errors, for it is said: “The little one who despises will fall little by little” (Sir.19:1). And do not say: “How can a spiritual person fall?” Being like this, he does not fall; When he allows something small from the opposite into himself and remains in it without repenting, then this little thing, having hardened and grown, no longer tolerates remaining separate from him, but attracts him to unite with himself, as if by some kind of chain, forcibly attracting him with a long-term attachment. And if, having entered into a struggle with this [evil] through prayer, he rejects it, then he will remain in his measure [spiritual age], however, he will still find himself lagging behind his characteristic dispassion to the extent that he has cut off the addiction to the evil he has encountered. If, of course, he is reduced [from the usual degree] by the increasing effort of what possesses him, reducing the struggle and work of prayer, then he will inevitably be seduced by other passions. And so, gradually being led away by each as he is led away, he is deprived of Divine help and finally is reduced to great crimes, sometimes unwillingly, from the compulsion that previously prevailed over him. 9. But you will say to me: “Couldn’t he, being at the beginning of evil, beg God not to fall into the final evil?” And I’m telling you that he could, but, having despised the little and by his own will having accepted it into himself as insignificant, he no longer prays for it, not knowing that this little thing is the beginning and the cause of something greater - this happens in good and evil! When the passion intensifies and, with the help of his will, finds a place for itself in him, then against his will it is forcibly ascended to him. Then, realizing [what the matter is], he prays to God, fighting with the enemy, whom he unknowingly defended before, arguing with people about him. Sometimes, even having heard from the Lord, he does not receive help, because it comes not as a person thinks, but as God arranges for our benefit. For He, knowing our complaisance and contempt, will greatly help us with sorrows, so that, having been freed without sorrow, we would not zealously commit the same sins. And therefore we affirm that it is necessary to endure what befalls us and to remain in repentance very decently. But you will object to me: “What other repentance do those who truly please God and have achieved perfection require?” That there were and are such people, I admit with you; but listen wisely and you will understand that even such people need it. “There is a lie from the devil,” said God (John 8:44), and He counted looking at a wife with lust as adultery, likened anger at one’s neighbor to murder and showed that we will give an answer to an idle word (see: Matt. 5:28,22; 12:36). Who has not been tempted by lies, does not know lust from sight, and has never been angry with his neighbor in vain, and even turned out to be innocent of an idle word, so that he would not need to repent? For if he is not like this in the present, he was once like this, and therefore, in relation to repentance, he is a debtor until his death. But let us suppose that there are some without these infirmities, as they say, and from birth are free from all vice, although this is impossible, according to the words of St. Paul: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God: we will be justified through His grace” (Rom. 3:23,24). However, even if there were such, they still come from Adam, they were all born under the sin of crime and therefore, by the sentence of God, they are condemned to death and cannot be saved without Christ. When Christ was crucified and redeemed everyone with His blood, then they too were delivered. Therefore, the Savior Himself sets one limit for everyone, encompassing many deeds, and says to the apostles: “Speak to those: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is drawing near”” (Matthew 4:17); at the same time, he gave commandments commanding repentance, and determined to fulfill them until death, saying: “Whoever loses his life for the sake of Me and the Gospel, will preserve it for eternal life” (Mark 8:35. John 12:25). And again, commanding him to renounce everything, he adds: “Also also his own soul” (Luke 14:26), and seals it, saying: “Whoever destroys one of these little commandments, he will be called in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:19). So, if, as shown, [Christ] determined repentance until death, therefore, the one who claims that it can end before death destroys the commandment by putting death aside 54. 11. Therefore, both small and great there is no end to repentance until death. For if we cannot reach this limit by deed, then we must learn in this by our own will, so that, by destroying the commandment with the intention, we do not thereby subject ourselves to condemnation, being called lesser in the Kingdom of Heaven. Consider those who have passed through this life from the beginning of the world, and you will find that in those who pleased [God], the sacrament of piety was accomplished through repentance. No one was condemned if he did not despise him, and no one was justified if he did not care for him. Sampson, Saul and Eli with their sons, having already acquired part of the shrine and neglected to repent, first lost it, and then, when the time of respite passed, they died a cruel death. If the devil does not stop fighting us, then repentance should never be abolished. The saints force themselves to offer it for their neighbors, because they could not be perfect without effective love. Know how nature itself teaches us to repent until death. A rational mind cannot be idle, but even if it were perfect, then when it is in a healthy state, it exercises itself in right doing; if, under the pretext of perfection, he abandons doing good, then in any case he bows to the opposite; having moved away, on the contrary, from the bad, he is again naturally attracted to the good. The right work for beginners, intermediate and perfect people is prayer, purification of thoughts and patience of the sorrows that befall us, without which it is impossible to perform other virtues, through which repentance is favorable. If repentance is a request for mercy, then the one who has must take care not to hear: “Behold, you are full” (1 Cor. 4:8) - even more so, the one who has nothing must ask according to his need, for everyone who asks accepts (Matt. 7:8). If the one who has mercy [on others] is himself shown mercy, then, as I believe, the whole world is sustained by repentance when one is providentially helped by one another. Through repentance, God saved the Ninevites, but burned the Sodomites who were careless about him. 12. If we strive in repentance until our death, then even in this way we will not yet fulfill what is due, for we have not done anything worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. For as we eat, drink, talk and hear, so naturally we must repent. Once someone worthy of death is killed according to the law; and whoever lives lives by faith for the sake of repentance; if not from our own, then from the sin of crime we were cleansed through baptism; having been cleansed, they received the commandments; he who does not fulfill the second has desecrated the first, oblivion, the method of cleansing his ancient sins (2 Pet. 1:9), from which no one is free every day, even if he never forsakes anything that was commanded. Therefore, everyone needs repentance, for it shows sins that once happened voluntarily, but now happen involuntarily when we hate passions and move away from them. He who limits it returns to the former and renews ancient sins. He who has the knowledge of the truth knows that he also needs repentance, for each of them is completed one in the other. Christ vouched for us for repentance, but he who abandons it rejects the Lieutenant. In regard to active life, we cannot do anything worthy without repentance, but [the Lord] has much mercy on us for our intention. He who forces himself and holds on to repentance until his death, even if he sins in any way, will be saved for forcing himself, for the Lord promised this in the Gospel. Whoever says that he has no need for repentance considers himself righteous and is called in Scripture the offspring of evil, for through the opinion of his righteousness, appearing as if he had committed repentance, without knowing it, instead of crucifixion, he copulates with sweets, for conceit and arrogance are passions. He who has self-conceit cannot be saved, for the Scripture says: “But a despised and offended man and a great man will die in nothing” (Hab. 2:5). If humility does not harm the perfect person at all, then let him not abandon the reason for it - repentance. Faithful Abraham and righteous Job, in humility, called themselves earth and ashes (see: Gen. 18:27. Job.42:6), and these words are a sign of humility; one who is saturated with repentance cannot be humble. The three youths, truly magnanimous and great martyrs, confessed in the midst of a burning flame and, saying about themselves: “We have sinned and committed lawlessness,” they repented of their long-standing evil, being already perfect; and the essence of almost all their song is repentance 55 . 13. So, if those who greatly pleased [God] and found themselves perfect in their deeds used the help of repentance until death, then who can rely on themselves and despise repentance under the pretext of truth? I think that even if someone, like Paul or Peter, were holy, then he would not ever want to leave repentance - the cause of humility. Therefore, Peter likened himself to Cornelius, for, having hidden God’s work in this and declaring his own, he said: “Arise, and I myself am a man,” and confessed that he had learned from God: “Never speak anything that is unclean or unclean” (Acts 10:26,28). Paul, recognizing that he should never, until his death, cease to act by the power of the grace given to him from Christ, said this: “I persecute even if I comprehend, and I was comprehended by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:12), calling patience until the end of life as comprehension, as he wrote about this in his letter to faithful Timothy, clearly showing him the approach of his death and saying: “You have fought the good fight, died, I kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7); not destining a stop and a temporary limit for himself, as having stopped the procession for the sake of perfection and no longer in need of exploits, which never cease on earth, for the body of Christ, which is the Church (Col. 1:24), but calling his death the end of the procession and exploits, for he says: “I am already devoured, and the time of my departure has come” (2 Tim. 4:6). You see, I didn’t say “I’m resting,” but “I’m already hungry,” showing everyone with such words and deeds that until our very departure [from the body] and death we must bring repentance to the Heavenly King Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, honor and worship now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Word four. Answer to those who are perplexed about holy baptism Question. since some say that holy baptism is perfect, affirming in the words of Holy Scripture: “You rose up, were baptized, and washed away your sins” (Acts 22:16); and again: “Wash yourself, and you will be clean” (Is. 1:16); and again: “But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified” (1 Cor. 6:11), and citing many similar passages as proof; others say that old sin 56 is killed by exploits, and these also cite the word of Scripture as proof: “Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit” (2 Cor. 7:1), - moreover, finding in ourselves after baptism the very effect of sin: what will we say to this or who will we believe? Answer . We should believe the apostolic preaching and remain in the same confession, and not tempt the power of God with human opinions and not again arbitrarily remain under the yoke of slavery, but maintain our freedom by doing the commandments, by which all truth is found in proportion [to this doing], and know definitely that for omitting them, according to proportion, we fall under the action of sin. And since we, submitting more to curiosity than to the word of God, have counted the preaching as vain, therefore our faith is vain, and we are still in our sins 57 . 2. Question. We do not say that preaching is in vain, but we wish to learn the truth. Answer . And if we consider the sermon to be true, then we will fulfill all the commandments and then we will see whether we are under the influence of sin. For holy baptism is perfect and gives us perfection, but does not make perfect one who does not keep the commandments. So, let us not give faith to human opinions, but let us believe more in the Divine Scripture: it says that Christ died for our sin, according to Scripture (1 Cor. 15:3), and that we were buried by Him through baptism, and those who died were freed from sin, and that sin should not possess us (Rom. 6: 4, 7, 14), if we fulfill His commandments; if we do not fulfill them, then we are unfaithful and rightly are kept in sin. For faith consists not only in being baptized into Christ, but also in fulfilling His commandments. According to Scripture, it is obvious that we were mysteriously buried by Him through baptism (Col. 2:12) and raised us up and seated us in heaven (Eph. 2:6). However, He also gave us commandments, so that, having fulfilled them, we would gain the grace of perfection given to us; and if we do not fulfill them, then it will turn out that we have fallen under the influence of sin by our own will. If we say that sin is destroyed by works, then Christ will not die (Gal. 2:21), and everything said will be false, and holy baptism is not perfect; but, as they say, perfection is acquired from exploits. And therefore, among them the law of freedom is vain and every law of the New Testament is rejected; they also consider Christ unrighteous, who commanded the works of freedom to those who were baptized, still involuntarily enslaved to sin, as they say; and the grace of God is no longer grace, but the reward of our deeds. For if it is by works, it is not by grace; if by grace, then the work is no longer a work (cf. Rom. 11:6), but the commandment of Him who freed us and the work of freedom and faith. Saint Paul providentially wrote the same thing to the Galatians, admonishing them also as having similarly disbelieved. We do not reject the grace of God: let this not happen! We do not deny the faith that lies in preaching. But if even after baptism we are still in sin, it is not because baptism was imperfect, but because we are negligent of the commandment and remain in pleasures of our own free will. For this very reason, the Divine Scripture convicts us, saying: “As a dog returns to his vomit, so a man returns to his sin by his own will” (Prov. 26:11), for neither God nor Satan compels our will even after baptism. Or have you not heard that the commandments of Christ, given after baptism, are the law of freedom? As the Scripture says, so speak and do so, for those who have the law of freeness received judgment (James 2:12). And the holy Apostle Peter, having said: “Give virtue to your faith” and so on, adds, saying: “He forbids this, forgetfulness, the method of cleansing his ancient sins” (2 Pet. 1: 5,9). Did you understand from what was said [that this is said] about cleansing through baptism, which occurs mysteriously and is effectively acquired through the fulfillment of the commandments? If, after being baptized, we were not freed from the sin of our fathers, then it is obvious that we cannot perform works of freedom. If we can do them, then it is obvious that we have been mysteriously freed from slavery to sin, according to what is written: “For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2); Because of our negligence in keeping the commandments of Him who cleansed us, we fall under the influence of sin. Or let them prove that those who are baptized cannot perform the commandments of freedom and therefore baptism is not perfect; or, having heeded our proof that they [i.e. that is, those who were baptized] received such power, let them realize that they too were freed by the grace of Christ, but they gave themselves over to slavery to evil, because they did not fulfill all the commandments and therefore again became assistants [to the enemy]. Let them accept reproof from their own testimonies: “Let us cleanse ourselves,” says Scripture, “from the filthiness of the flesh and spirit” (2 Cor. 7:1). How can a slave of sin cleanse himself from all filth, not having such freedom and power, but being kept from sin? If you have strength in passions, then understand that they support you not by force, but because of your will. So, everything that the Divine Scripture tells us about purification advises us as free, so as not to dwell in such thoughts, but to love freedom as having the power to bow to whatever we want, for good or evil. 3. Question. If we were freed in baptism 58, why have we not yet seen the air of freedom, as those who struggle see it? Answer . Because arbitrary pleasures and negligence about the commandments that they fulfilled darken us. For, as we said above, man is freed by the gift of Christ; by his own will, where he loves, he remains there, even though he was baptized; because autocracy is not forced. When Scripture says that women in need delight the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 11:12), it says this about its own will, so that each of us, after baptism, is forced not to deviate towards evil, but to remain in goodness. If we suffered violence from evil spirits, then God, who freed us, could have made us not subject to involuntary change in every possible way; now this does not exist, but He delivered us through baptism from forced slavery, abolishing sin through the cross, and established the commandments of freedom; He allowed our autocratic will to remain or not to abide in the commandments. Therefore, as much as the commandments are fulfilled, so much do they mean freedom and love for the Liberator; and to the extent that they are neglected or impoverished, they show our addiction to sweets. Others are stumbled by their own thoughts and say: “We want to fulfill the commandments but cannot, being held by the power of sin”; and therefore one must first strive and blot out sin in order to be able to fulfill the commandments of freedom, not understanding either what they say or what they claim. If you have no freedom at all and cannot fulfill the commandments, then by what deeds and deeds will you blot out sin, in your words? The exploits of the faithful are commandments. You say: “I cannot fulfill the commandments unless I first purify myself through labors.” Show me, as you say, feats other than the commandments, and I will submit to your way of thinking. If you point to prayer, this is a commandment; if you talk about putting down thoughts, that is a commandment; if it is about fasting and vigil, and this is also a commandment; if you point out alms or rejection of your soul, this is a commandment; if you say: death or the cross or any other act of virtue - they are all commandments. And therefore, those who have received the strength [to fulfill] the commandments, as the faithful, the Lord commands to strive not to return back 59: not so as to blot out sin through them, but so as not to return to it again. For even these commandments do not eradicate sin: this is the work of the single cross, but they only preserve the limits of the freedom given to us. Otherwise, tell me, if you eradicate the sin of Adam through works, then how did Christ die for our sin, according to Scripture? (1 Cor. 15:3) But they cannot contradict this, but only ask inconsistently, considering everything according to their own opinions and not obeying the truth of Holy Scripture. They say: “If sin is destroyed by baptism, then why does it act again in the heart?” We have repeatedly indicated the reason for this, i.e., that it acts not because it is left within us after baptism, but because we love it, when the commandments are omitted. For holy baptism gives perfect permission; to bind oneself again to addiction or to remain resolved through doing the commandments is a matter of autocratic will, because a thought that becomes rigid in some kind of sweetness or irritation is a sign of autocratic addiction, and not that sin is left within us. since we, according to Scripture, have the power to cast down thoughts and all heaps charged on the mind of God (2 Cor. 10:5), then for those who cast them down, an evil thought in themselves is a sign of love for God, and not sin, for it is not the attack of a thought that is sin, but the friendly conversation of the mind with it. If we don’t love it, then why are we slow in it? It is impossible for anything that we hate from our hearts to speak to our hearts for a long time without our evil participation in it. For even if a hated thought dominates and possesses the mind, I do not contradict that this also happens, but this is not a remnant of Adam’s sin within us, but a crime after baptism. For when, after holy baptism, being able to fulfill all the commandments, we do not fulfill them, then, even without wanting to, we are kept in sin until we beseech God through repentance, heading toward all His commandments, and He destroys the sin of our autocracy. There are two reasons for the action of evil in us, and both of them depend on ourselves: one acts due to insufficient fulfillment of the commandments, while the other inevitably supports us for the sake of our evil deeds after baptism, which only God destroys, being begged by alms, prayer and patience of the sorrows that befall us. But this too is given to us by perfect grace, secretly given to us by baptism. 4. Question. Did Paul also sin after his baptism because he was unwittingly exposed to sin? For he says: “I see another law warring against the law of my mind” (Rom. 7:23). Answer . Likewise, others in Scripture are misinterpreted by those who misunderstand and are deceived. Read this chapter from the beginning, and you will see that Saint Paul is not talking about himself after baptism, but puts himself in the place of the unfaithful and unbaptized Jews, admonishing them that without the grace of Christ bestowed by baptism, it is impossible to overcome sin, for, having said: “I am a damned man, who will deliver me from the body of this death?” - he adds: “I thank God Jesus Christ our Lord.” Therefore he says: “The law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin” (Rom. 7:24,25,14). And therefore, everything that relates to the law speaks spiritually, not although they are under the law, but under grace, which is the spiritual law written in us. So, if we understand the words of Saint Paul, being able to reason spiritually (1 Cor. 2:13), then through these we can understand the truth, how for us, who have mysteriously received the grace of the Holy Spirit through holy baptism, what is said about the church, the law and the sacrifices comes true. He called us the Temple of the Holy Spirit and encourages us to offer spiritual sacrifices (see: 1 Pet. 2:5), calling us a Jew in secret, and not in reality, and [meaning] circumcision of the heart by the Spirit, and not by Scripture (Rom. 2:29); and even that same spiritual law, the heavenly Lawmaker, Christ wrote by the Spirit in the faithful, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of the heart of flesh (2 Cor. 3:3). Just as he said about these that all this was in secret 60, so understand exactly about each of the things that were said transformatively, that is, those that happened. And since we have not yet firmly believed in Christ, we do not consider ourselves debtors to all His commandments and have not denied ourselves, according to His word (see: Luke 9:23), therefore we do not know the above-mentioned secret, having received it from baptism itself. When we reproach ourselves for this lack of faith and believe Him sincerely in all the commandments, then, having accepted within ourselves the experience of the above things, we truly confess that holy baptism is perfect and that the grace of Christ was poured out 61 [on us in Him] abundantly, expecting therefore our obedience and doing the commandments, the power to fulfill which we have received through it. Therefore, those of us who have not yet fulfilled the commandments of freedom and have not reached free Jerusalem, for the Jerusalem above is freedom, which is the mother of us all (Gal. 4:26), regenerating us by the washing of regeneration 62. But we are still on the way, and perhaps we are mistaken 63, walking along pathless paths, for arguing and contradicting the truth are signs of an ignorant path, and not of the right procession. Therefore, blessed Paul, seeing us slow [to enter] on the perfect path, says: “Try this way, that you may comprehend” (1 Cor. 9:24). If we have not yet reached the city, then when will we see the church and, having entered inside it, will we be worthy to be led to the altar? But what am I saying about the city, the church and the altar, when we have not yet gone through the beasts of reeds, which the prophet prays to God to prohibit (see: Ps. 68:31), so that the firstborn sacrifices of the mind, which were commanded to be offered to the Jews in secret, would not be damaged by the beasts (Rom. 2:29)? Or, in your opinion, is there a Jew in secret, according to the word of the Apostle Paul; But the church has not yet been built by the son of David, and the purification has not yet been built, but will it be built by you now? For this very thing you preach clearly, saying that the sin of Adam is destroyed by deeds, and not by the grace of Christ, which is infused into us secretly by baptism, but it is revealed when, having followed the path of the commandments as it should be, we offer our natural thoughts to the Bishop of Christ, as healthy sacrifices, and not damaged by beasts, for truly many in their thoughts are damaged by beasts; and it is precisely those who deviate from the right path, I mean, from the patience of the sorrowful, and, moving away from the right path, walk along paths, blaming others for these dishonors more than themselves. Only a few of them walk the right path, and even then, being guarded by prayer and bound by hope, they are beaten by temptations; and thus they reach the city and the church and are offered up as a sacrifice. The city is a bright and lawful reasoning about Christ, which, when a person piously manages affairs, has peace and acts correctly; when he sins, then he is given over to his enemies for destruction. The church is the God-created sanctuary of soul and body; the altar in this church is the erection of hope, on which, on every occasion encountered, the original thought, like a firstborn animal, being lifted up from the mind, is sacrificed for the purification of the one who lifts it up, if only he lifts it up immaculately. This church also has inner curtains, where Jesus, the forerunner of us, appeared (Heb. 6:19,20), and lives in us, according to the word of the Apostle, who said: “Or do you not know that Christ Jesus lives in you, unless you are unskilled” (2 Cor. 13:5)? It is an inner, secret and pure heart container, which if it does not open with an all-encompassing (καθολικῆς) and reasonable hope in God 64, then it is impossible to reliably recognize the one living in us or to know whether our reasonable sacrifices were accepted or not? As before among the Israelites fire consumed the remains [of sacrifices], so it happens here; for, when the faithful heart opens with the above-mentioned hope, the heavenly Bishop accepts the original thoughts of the mind and consumes it with Divine fire, about which he said: “Fire came into the world, and would have it had already been kindled” (Luke 12:49). We called the original thoughts not the hearts that were in the second thought, but from the first attack and their emergence immediately brought to Christ; for the Divine Scripture calls those brought to Him out of many thoughts lame, blind and deformed, and therefore unpleasant to the Lord God 65 . So, that after baptism we ourselves are guilty of every evil thought has already been proven by the evidence of Holy Scripture. If we need to show this with the help of natural inference, then again we will tell you, who claims that after baptism, without your own fault, you are under the influence of Adam’s sin, and who admits that you can destroy it with your exploits. Know for certain that you resist the Scripture and are offended by your own words. For if, as you say, evil thoughts are the sin of Adam, then learn from St. Paul that you have put on Christ through baptism (see: Gal. 3:27), you have the power and weapons to cast them down: “For the weapons of our warfare,” he says, “are not carnal, but mighty in God, we are firm for destruction: we lay down thoughts that cast down, and every exaltation taken against the mind of God” ( 2 Corinthians 10:4). If, having power over them, you do not overthrow them at the first attack, then it is obvious that you are voluptuous out of unbelief, agree and become friends with them; therefore, you are guilty of such an act, not Adam. 5. Question. How can, out of unbelief, indulge in voluptuousness and agree with [evil] thoughts, one who has shut himself up in a cell and fasts every day, abstains, observes poverty, lives like a wanderer, remains on vigil, sleeps on the bare ground, prays and endures many such sorrows? Answer . You rightly said that he who does all this endures many sorrows. If we performed the above-mentioned obvious virtues without sorrow, but with joy and hard work, we would not be sensualists in our minds. For it is impossible for someone who is sick about bodily labor not to talk with enemies and not to console the dissatisfaction that occurs during labor; If such a person did not want this, he would not grieve over his labors. We are subjected to this because we indulge in evil suffering not for the sake of desire for future benefits, but only for the fear of the temptations that befall us now, and we consider an evil deed to be our sin, and the thought that precedes it is someone else’s action. And for those who consider this action not their own, but someone else’s, it is impossible to get rid of it. Sometimes, even without our consent, some vile thought and hated by us, like a robber, unexpectedly attacking us, forcibly contains our mind. However, know for sure that this [thought] also came from ourselves; for either after baptism we gave ourselves over to some evil thought until it was fulfilled by the deed itself, and therefore, although unintentionally, we became guilty, or, of our own free will, we hold within ourselves some seeds of evil, which is why the evil one is established in us; and he, having held us back with evil seeds, will not leave until you throw them away; the vile thought, remaining in us through doing evil, will then be driven out when we bring to God works worthy of repentance. And therefore I do not even call this Adam’s sin, but rather the sin of one who has done evil and contains its seeds. If you tell me that both of these [reasons] were preceded by a thought, and you seek who is guilty in this case, I answer you: you yourself, as having the power to cleanse it [i.e. e. thought] at the beginning of the first attack and did not clear it, but talked with him until it was carried out in practice. If, before the deed, you were in no way able to overthrow it due to the weakness of your mind, then how do you say that after it is completed in deed, you can eradicate it, which is already confirmed by your deeds and rightly supports you? If you admit that you can eradicate it with the help of God, know that even before the matter, if you wanted this, God would have helped you. And when you see help coming to you in your heart, know for sure that this grace did not appear from outside, but was given to you mysteriously at baptism and has now affected you to the extent that you, having hated the thought, have turned away from it. Therefore, Christ, having delivered us from all violence, did not forbid the attack of thoughts on our hearts, so that some, being hated from the heart, would be immediately destroyed; others, as long as we love them, remained so long that the grace of Christ and the human will were revealed - what it loves: whether labors for the sake of grace or thoughts for the sake of sweetness. Let us not be surprised that we fall under such an action not only of those we love, but also - violently - of those [thoughts] we hate; for just as some evil kinship [acts together], so our lusts and desires [thoughts] act together, one with the other; and each [of the similar ones], remaining (συγχρόνισαντα) 66 in its doer, transfers it to the nearest [lust], so that [a person], strongly attracted by habit to the first [lust], the second 67 already against the will (παρὰ γνώμην) can be carried away in the same way. For who can escape pride if he is filled with vanity? Or who, having had his fill of sleep and given himself over to pleasure, will not be overcome by the thought of fornication? Or who, having given himself over to covetousness, will not be bound by unmercifulness? How, against their will (παρὰ γνώμην), those deprived of theirs will not be tormented by irritability and anger? Therefore, it is necessary to know that through our own fault we are under the influence of sin, for we have already freed ourselves 68 from cruel (κατὰ βίαν) slavery. “The law of the Spirit of life,” says [the apostle], “has freed me from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2); and it is already in our will, having heard the commandments of the Spirit and having learned from them, to walk in the flesh or in the spirit. But it is impossible to walk in the spirit for those who love human praise and indulgence in the body, and it is impossible to live according to the flesh for those who inwardly choose the future over the present. And therefore it behooves us, who have gone astray in many ways, from now on to hate human praise and the rest of the body, through which, even without our will, evil thoughts vegetate in us, and with the disposition of our souls to say this prophetic word to the Lord: “Has he not hated Thee, O Lord, hated Thy very things? I hated with complete hatred: I became enemies” (Ps. 139:21,22). For truly the enemies of God are evil thoughts that hinder the fulfillment of His will in us, since He wants all man to be saved and to come into the mind of truth (1 Tim. 2:4), and they, through partiality, mislead us and prevent us from achieving salvation 69. The Lord said about them that they are not from Adam, but come from the heart, and therefore they defile a person (see: Matt. 15:18); It is obvious that not from a believing heart, but from a vain one, for he says: “How can you believe that you receive glory from man, and do not seek glory that comes from God alone?” (John 5:44) So, when we hate vanity and believe in Him in everything, smashing every thought about Him with heartfelt and single-minded hope, then, just as at the beginning of faith, [acquired] by baptism, the body of Christ was freely faithful, so in mental hope and rejection of thoughts, a firmly believing and pure mind becomes the waste of Jesus, who said: “Mine is worthless, yes.” I will do the will of My Father” (John 4:34), - Who, according to the word of Paul, wants all men to be saved and to come into the understanding of truth (1 Tim. 2:4). [The apostle] understands the truth to be found, as was said above, in mental (νοερᾶς) hope, 70 which no longer appears from hearing, but is believed to be from the action of the All-Holy Spirit; and she, according to Scripture, is the message of hope (Heb. 11:1). After all, there is faith by hearing (see: Rom. 10:17), and there is faith by giving notice to those who hope. The unbaptized or vain cannot come to the knowledge of this truth (cf. 1 Tim. 2:4). For those who are baptized in the Catholic Church through baptism are given mysteriously [grace] and live in them in secret. Then, as the commandments are done and mental hope is made, it is revealed to believers according to the word of the Lord: “Believe in Me,” as the Scripture says, “rivers of living water will flow out of his belly.” This is what he said about Dus, whom he who believes in Him wants to receive” (John 7:38,39). So, we believe that through baptism we have mysteriously received freedom and cleansing, according to the words of the Apostle: “Now you are washed, now you are cleansed, now you are justified, now you are sanctified” (cf. 1 Cor. 6:11). And so he writes to the Corinthians, not yet purified by the rejection of thoughts through mental hope and not sanctified by the heartfelt action of the Spirit, but who were still evil, who offended and deprived, and even their brethren (cf. 1 Cor. 6:8) in order to show that those who were baptized according to the gift of Christ 71 mysteriously received cleansing and sanctification; due to his own lack of faith, everyone falls under the influence of [sin], being attracted and deceived by his own lust, as the Scripture says: “The same lust, when conceived, gives birth to sin, and the sin committed gives birth to death” (James 1:14,15). So, from one’s own lust mental sin (λογιστική) is born, and from this comes the commission of an action in accordance with this, which Scripture calls death. And that from baptism itself there is in us the grace of the Spirit, teaching us, according to the word of the Lord, all truth (see: John 16:13), learn also from divine Scripture and from works. First, look in the Acts of the Apostles what blessed Peter says to the large congregation: “Repent,” he says, “and be baptized every one of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Do you understand, at least now, how through baptism the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit are granted according to the measure of faith? To the extent that someone does not believe, he is immediately caught in sin. Therefore, the twelve men of Ephesus were baptized without faith, this is how St. Paul denounces them. He asks them: “Have you received the Holy Spirit by naturally believing?” They said to him: “But even if the Holy Spirit is present, I hear.” Speech to them: “Why are you being baptized?” They rekosha: “In John’s baptism.” Paul said: “John therefore baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people, that they might believe in him who should come after him, that is, in Christ Jesus. Hearing them being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” And I will lay Paul’s hand on her, and the Holy Spirit will come on her (Acts 19:2–6). Are you convinced now that the Holy Spirit is given to firm believers immediately upon baptism, but to the unfaithful and evil-believing it is not given even after baptism? And that we ourselves offend and quench Him within ourselves, learn from the words of the same apostle: “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19) and also: “Do not offend the Holy Spirit, by Whom you are marked on the day of deliverance” (Eph. 4:30). We brought this evidence not because every person who was baptized and received grace was therefore considered unchangeable and no longer requiring repentance, but [wanting to show] that from baptism, by the gift of Christ, we were given God's perfect grace to fulfill all the commandments; but then everyone, having received it mysteriously and not fulfilling the commandments, as [them] are omitted, is under the influence of sin, which is not Adam’s, but [the sin] of one who has neglected 73; because he, having received the power of action, does not perform deeds. Impoverishment comes from unbelief; and unbelief is not the sin of others, but of the one who does not believe, which is finally the mother and introduction of all sin. Whether we want to be perfect, quickly or slowly, we must completely believe in Christ and fulfill all His commandments, having received from Him the power to do so. And this [means] not that we are obliged to fulfill each commandment one after another, but to combine the individual ones together, thus we must fulfill all the commandments in totality, for there are the most important commandments, which embrace many many others. By this only deed we must overcome our unbelief and not neglect the general [main] commandments, through which the grace given to us is effectively revealed; about which St. Paul, that this may be accomplished in us, prays, saying: “For this sake I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that the Lord may give you the power to be strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts with all conviction and feeling through faith” (Eph. 3:14,16,17). It’s finally time, as was said above, to confirm this testimony with deeds. For as much as we fulfill God’s commandments by believing, the Holy Spirit produces fruit in us. The fruits of the Spirit, according to St. Paul, are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, mercy, faith, meekness, self-control (Gal. 5:22). Who is not at all involved in these actions [of the Spirit] after baptism, so that he can renounce it and say that he did not receive the grace of the Spirit from baptism? Who, too, seeing in himself the daily unceasing action of these fruits and having not yet fulfilled the commandments, can say: “I am perfect and unchangeable”? Therefore, it is obvious that grace is perfect in us, but we are not perfect, due to the omission of the commandments 74. Likewise, holy baptism is perfect in us, but we are not perfect in it. So, man, baptized into Christ, you just show the work whose power you have received, and prepare yourself for the manifestation of Him who lives in you; and then the Lord, according to His promise, will reveal Himself to you spiritually, as He Himself knows. The Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Cor. 3:17); and then you will know what has been said, that the Kingdom of Heaven is within you (Luke 17:21). And this must be known, that those who have personally fulfilled the commandments will enter the Kingdom in proportion to this; those who want to achieve perfection must do everything at all; the general [set] of all commandments is the renunciation of [one’s] soul, i.e. death. And just as he who lives in the body is insufficient for this perfect action, so before the outcome he cannot but be subject to the attack of thoughts due to the above-mentioned impoverishment. So, if any of the faithful, living according to the commandments, have acquired some spiritual effect in proportion to this, let him believe that he has already received its power; for he received through baptism the grace of the Spirit - the cause of all good things, I say, not only secret and spiritual, but also obvious virtues. And let none of the virtuous think to do anything good by their own strength, for a good person does not speak a word from himself, but brings good things from the good treasure of his heart (Matthew 12:35), meaning by the treasure of the Holy Spirit, hidden in the hearts of the faithful. Just as the Kingdom of Heaven is a hidden treasure in a village, which a man found hidden and went and sold everything and bought the village (cf. Matt. 13:44). This goes very well with what has been said, for he who knows for certain that, according to the word of the Apostle, he has within himself the hidden Christ from baptism, having left all the things of this world, abides in his heart, observing it with every care and, according to the parable, seeking the outcome of life (Proverbs 4:23; see: Proverbs 8:35). Therefore, one should not think that Adam’s sin is eradicated by deeds, as well as one’s own [sins] that occur after baptism, but only by Jesus Christ, for He is the one who works in you both to will and to do good will (Phil. 2:13). Having added about benevolence, the apostle hereby shows that being well-willed about virtues depends on our autocracy, and it is impossible to do them or eradicate sins without God; but what was said: “Without Me you can do nothing” and: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” (John 15:5,16) - has the same meaning. Or maybe we should understand in the same way what was said: “All things were made by Him, and without Him nothing came into being” (John 1:3), since in everything there is our participation; also no one comes to the Father except by Me (John 14:6). Therefore, the prophet did not say: “From Jerusalem to Your church they will bring You kings’ gifts,” which was indeed the case, but, on the contrary: “From Your temple to Jerusalem Kings will bring You gifts” (Ps. 67:30); since the royal mind of everyone first, from the secret church of the heart, receives good and good advice from the living Christ within, and brings them into a virtuous life, which [the prophet] called Jerusalem, and again brings them to Christ Himself, who previously gave them through a good thought. We said this, not closing the future, but recognizing that we have received strength to fulfill the commandments and have been released from the bonds of death and are henceforth debtors to work. If we do not fulfill God’s commandments, then the grace given to us is not revealed, for how could we, who died in sin, be able to do good on our own if the Lord Himself had not revived us by the washing of rebirth and had not given us the grace of the Spirit? So, we understand that we have been given the perfect grace of the Spirit to fulfill all the commandments, which does not accept application from us, but gives us the application of growth in Christ and strengthens its workers until death: until we reach the union of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, into a perfect man, according to the age of the fulfillment of Christ (Eph. 4:13), according to the spiritual succession about which it was said above. 6. Question. So, whoever is baptized receives whom mysteriously - Christ or the Holy Spirit? For you sometimes said that Christ lives within us, and sometimes the Holy Spirit. Answer . By Baptism we receive the Holy Spirit; and since He is called both the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ, therefore we accept both the Father and the Son by baptism, according to what was said: “I and the Father will come and make our abode with him” (cf. John 14:23). 7. Question. Therefore, is the [Holy] Spirit a Trinity? Answer . We do not call Him the Trinity in one His own Person; but since He is inseparable from the Father and the Son, therefore we confess in Him the Trinity according to His Divinity and power. For just as in the Father there is the Son and the Spirit, and also in the Son there is the Father and the Spirit, so in the Spirit there is the Father and the Son, not by the merging of the three hypostases of one Divinity, but by the union of the same one council, and Divinity, and being. And therefore, whether we specifically name the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit, in one name we name the Trinity according to the image mentioned above. 8. Question. How does Scripture say that there is a heavenly Jerusalem (see: Heb. 12:22), but you said that it is in the heart? Answer . We know that not only Jerusalem, but also other blessings that the righteous are to receive in the resurrection are located; their betrothals and firstfruits in the hearts of firm believers from now on act spiritually, so that, being assured of the future, we despise everything present and love God to death. Therefore, [the apostle] did not say “you have to draw near,” but “come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, Heavenly Jerusalem,” for we have all been made capable of receiving these from baptism, and only those who firmly believe are worthy to receive them, who die every day for the love of Christ, i.e. standing above every thought of this life and not thinking of anything else, except when they reach the perfect love of Christ, which is the inner opening of the heart, where Jesus is the Forerunner for us (Heb. 6:20). Looking for this at the beginning of everything, Saint Paul said: “I persecute, even if I comprehend, I will also be comprehended,” that is, that I may love as I was loved by Christ (see: Phil. 3:12). And when I achieved this love, I no longer wanted to think about anything, neither about the sorrowful for the body, nor about the wondrous in creation, but I immediately rejected every thought, not wanting to lose the action of the Spirit for one hour. He showed how much he rejected for the sake of spiritual love, saying: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Is it tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or trouble, or a sword? And again: “We have known,” he says, “that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers lower than power, neither present nor to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature that can separate us from the love of God, even in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:35,38,39), for he did not want to think about any of these, but only to abide there [in the love of Christ]. 9. Question. As shortly before this you said that the Spirit [of God] lives inside us completely and does not accept application from us; the apostle, on the contrary, says that we have the firstfruits of the Spirit, and not the perfect Spirit? (cf. Rom.8:23) Answer . He said “firstfruits”, [meaning] not some part of the whole, nor introducing any division of the Spirit, for He does not divide and does not change, but [said so], showing our container, which cannot contain every action of the Spirit except by the perfect commandment, i.e. death, since death for the truth of Christ 75 is a commandment of God. Just as the sun, being perfect, pours out from itself perfect, simple and equal grace to everyone - but everyone, as far as he has a cleansed eye, receives the sunlight - so the Holy Spirit made His believers from baptism capable of accepting all His actions and gifts; however, His gifts do not work in everyone to the same extent, but are given to each one as he does the commandments, insofar as he testifies with good deeds and shows the measure of faith in Christ. Therefore he says: “God has sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying: “Abba Father,” and: “The Spirit himself is obedient to our Spirit, for we are children of God” (Gal.4:6, Rom.8:16). And that no one destroys Adam’s sin by himself, but only Christ according to the measure of faith in Him, listen to the words of the Apostle, that Christ died for our sin, according to Scripture (1 Cor. 15:3); and one more thing: God makes His love for us, because we are sinners; Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8); and one more thing: we were buried with Him through baptism into death: just as Christ has risen from the dead, so we too will begin to walk in newness of life, and so on; and that the dead are freed from sin (Rom. 6:4,7); and that we are saved by natural grace through faith, and not by works, so that no one can boast; and again: for sometimes there was darkness, but now there is light in the Lord: walk as children of light (Eph. 2:8,9; 5:8); and one more thing: we are not slaves to children, but free. By freedom, through Christ we are free, stand firm (Gal.4:31;5:1); and one more thing: as if they are free, and not as a cover for those who have evil, freedom (1 Pet. 2:16). Do you see how the Scriptures call those deeds, through which, as you say, sin is destroyed, works of renewal, freedom and light? It also shows the perverted directions of autocracy, which you call Adam’s sin, for to have freedom as a cover of the heart, or rather, of malice, and to offend the Holy Spirit, and to do the will of the flesh and mind (cf. Eph. 2:3), having begun in the Spirit, are now finished in the flesh (Gal. 3:3), and we must not live according to the flesh (Rom. 8:12). Knowing this and the like, and knowing what to do or not to do depends on our autocracy, Divine Scripture condemns not Satan and not Adam’s sin, but us. If you want to listen intelligently, I’ll tell you the most important thing. You call various attacks (σχηματισμούς) of thoughts 76 Adam’s sin, but blessed Paul obviously and clearly convicts us of this evil as guilty, saying: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). If this does not [depend] on our will, but on Satan’s torment and is a remnant of Adam’s sin, then why are we convicted of sin, subject to its action involuntarily and being tormented by Satan? So will we suffer innocently? Or, perhaps, in your opinion, God Himself is unrighteous, He commanded us the supernatural and demands from us that which is beyond our strength. But this is not true. Let this not happen! I will ask you, and give me an answer: should we offer the power of piety that our nature has to God daily or not? Of course, you will tell me: “We must, because God gave this to our nature and established commandments consistent with our strength.” Therefore, if the benefit brought to Him today is today’s debt, then show me what you paid [to God] for your ancient debt, or Adam’s? I’m telling you that not only can’t you show this, but you also can’t fully fulfill your daily duty. And how is this obvious? From the fact that we do not always abide in the same virtues. How much you have applied to virtue today, so much have you exposed yourself as a former debtor, clearly showing the strength of your nature; for today's application turned out that yesterday's lack depended not on nature, but on will. This is why we fall under the influence of sin 77 . 10. Question. But let this be so, but I know one thing: if Adam had not transgressed [the commandments], I would not have experienced the attack of evil? Answer . And you said this incorrectly: not to experience the attack of evil is [a property of] immutable nature, and not human, for if we are of the same nature as Adam, then he must also be like us and us like him. So, let this first man himself assure you that he was neither immutable, nor in particular 78 evil, but arbitrarily changed 79 and violated the commandment not by the compulsion of nature, but by the consent of the will. Consequently, just as he was accessible to Satan’s attack, having the power to listen or not to listen to him, so are we. 11. Question. Only now I yield to you, because you do not deny Satan’s attack. The answer is 80. I have never denied this before, for I know that Job was tempted by the devil, [I remember] the words of Scripture: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, and against the authorities, and against the ruler of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness” (Eph. 6:12); and again: “Resist the devil, and he flees from you” (James 4:7), and again: “Your adversary the devil, like a roaring lion, walks around looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). But since you believe that the evil thoughts are not yours, but someone else’s, sometimes saying that this is the sin of Adam, sometimes that it is Satan himself, sometimes the attack of Satan, therefore we say that Adam’s sin is one thing, Satan is another, the attack of Satan is another, and another is our evil thoughts, although the causes that produce them are in the attack. For Satan is that very creature - the devil (ἡ τοῦ διαβόλου ὑπόστασις) who attempted to tempt the Lord; Adam's sin is the transgression of the commandment by the first man; The satanic attack is a manifestation of an evil deed in thought alone, which even in order to get closer to our mind finds [convenience] only due to our lack of faith. For when, after we receive the commandment, not to worry about anything, but to guard our hearts with all care (Prov. 4:23) and to seek within us the present Kingdom of Heaven, the mind departs from the heart and from the above-mentioned discipline, immediately gives way to the devil’s attack and becomes available to evil advice. But even then the devil does not have the power to set our thoughts in motion, otherwise he would not have had mercy on us, forcing us into every evil thought and not allowing us to think anything good; but he only has the power to instill a false teaching in the mind of only the first thought, in order to tempt our inner disposition, where it tends: either to his advice or to the commandment of God, since they oppose each other. And therefore, in what we love, we immediately arouse our thoughts to this [enemy] indication and biasedly converse in thought with the object that appears; and in that which we abhor, we cannot hesitate, but we hate that very enemy. If, even though hated, it remains - this also happens - then this does not depend on our new disposition, but is strengthened on us from the previous perception, and therefore [such an attack] stands in place motionless and, like a single-minded 81, is prevented by heartfelt indignation from turning into multi-mindedness and passion; for a one-person phenomenon, hated by those who listen to themselves, does not have the natural [power] to force the mind into the passion of multi-thinking, only with the help of heartfelt voluptuousness. Therefore, if we completely retreat from voluptuousness, then even the appearance in one thought (μονολόγιστος) of previously received impressions can no longer harm us or condemn our conscience for not protecting ourselves regarding the future. For when the mind recognizes its unsuccessful resistance to previously accepted impressions and confesses to God its previous guilt, this temptation itself is immediately abolished. And the mind again has the power to listen to the heart and guard it with all care through prayer, attempting to enter the inner and safe cells of the heart, where there are no longer the winds of evil thoughts, violently howling and casting the soul and body into the rapids of voluptuousness and into a stream of resin; there is no wide and spacious path, paved with words and images of worldly wisdom, which deceives those who follow it, even if they are very wise; for the pure inner cages of the soul and the house of Christ receive within themselves our mind, naked and bringing nothing from this age, whether it can be justified by reason or not, except these three, named by the Apostle: faith, hope and love (1 Cor. 13:13). So, whoever loves the truth and wants to work heartily, according to what was said above, can not be carried away by previously accepted impressions, but listen to his heart, succeed [in achieving] the inner and draw closer to God, only let him not neglect the labors of prayer and living [according to God]; for he who carefully refrains himself every day, not only externally, but also internally, from mental soaring and carnal pleasures, cannot help but work with his heart. Thus, we recognize the attack that occurs in one thought as compulsory, because even though it is hated, it still remains. But conversation with incoming thoughts [we call] voluntary. This also happened to those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s crime; They could not forbid the enemy, but they completely rejected conversation with him and passion. 12. Question. Consequently, we necessarily accepted the crime of Adam, which is our sin, consisting of thoughts? Answer . This is not Adam’s crime, but an exposure of everyone’s voluptuousness. But we also did not receive the crime by succession, for if we had broken the law because of the succession, then it would be necessary for all of us to be criminals and not be accused of God as having broken it due to the necessity of natural succession. Nowadays this is not the case, for we do not all transgress the commandment and we do not all keep it; therefore, it is obvious that this crime does not arise from necessity, but from voluptuousness. 13. Question. since, as you say, the Lord came for the sake of this crime, then why did He not destroy it in baptism, but even now everyone has the power to transgress or not to transgress [the commandments]? Answer . The crime, being arbitrary, as stated above, is not inherited by anyone involuntarily, but the resulting death, being forced, is inherited by us and is alienation from God, for after the first man died, that is, he was alienated from God, and we could not live in God. Therefore, the Lord came to revive us with the washing of restoration and reconcile us with God, which He did. So, what we have received is not a crime, since Adam himself did not fall into it out of necessity, but of his own free will; but we inherited death involuntarily, since he too suffered involuntarily the death that reigned over those who had not sinned in the likeness of Adam’s crime (Rom. 5:14). 14. Question. Let us agree that Adam arbitrarily fell into crime and that therefore we, being of the same nature with him, arbitrarily fall away [from God]. Was it really possible that the enemy did not act on him involuntarily? Answer . Indeed, the attack was involuntary, but the attack [of thought] is neither sin nor truth, but an exposure of our autocratic will. That is why he was allowed to attack us, in order to honor those who bow to the commandment as faithful with crowns, and to show those who bow to sweetness as unfaithful as worthy of condemnation. But we also need to know this that it is not immediately after each of our changes [of action] that judgment is given according to it, whether we turned out to be skillful or worthy of rejection, but when throughout our entire stay in this life we are tested by battles, winning and being overcome, falling and rising, wandering and being taught on the good path, then only on the day of the outcome, after counting everything, we will be judged in proportion to this or praised. So, not attacking is sin. Not at all! For although it shows us things in one [only] thought without our consent, we have received from the Lord the power of spiritual activity, and it is our autocracy to experience, at the first thought, both harmful and beneficial, and to reject or accept thoughts that multiply not out of need, but from spiritual disposition. But suppose, in your opinion, that these also arise involuntarily and successively: why does the Divine Scripture condemn us for evil thoughts? Or how can we prevent those thoughts that disturb us from occurring involuntarily and successively? If you object to me that, according to the testimony of Scripture, we can prevent them by the grace of Christ, which we received from baptism, then understand that for this reason we turn out to be guilty, as having from God the power and strength to restrain them from the first assault and not restraining them. If someone blames someone else for his evil, then he not only sins without fear, but also blasphemes God, who allowed people to be persecuted innocently. 15. Question. Why do I, being baptized, pray to God and call on His grace, and with all my will I want to get rid of and free myself from evil thoughts - but I can’t? Isn’t it obvious from this that Adam’s crime left us this as an inevitable legacy? Answer . It would behoove us, as reasonable people, to know what we hear; and since our soul, darkened by voluptuousness and vanity, has fallen into the depths of ignorance, it listens neither to the commandments of Scripture, nor to the natural order, nor to the consideration of experience, but follows only its own intentions. For whoever, believing the Divine Scripture and fulfilling the commandments of the Lord, does not, in the process, acquire consideration of thoughts and make sure that they hold us not by power, but by our lack of faith and impoverishment [in fulfilling] the commandments. That is why we are not all of the same disposition, and we are not all disturbed by the same thoughts, because the causes of thoughts depend on our will. For if they [the reasons] were forced from the [crime] of Adam, we would all be equally troubled by sin, and inevitably held by it, and would have no need either for the admonition of Scripture or for the apostolic council, being by succession in the power of nature, and not of the voluptuous will. But now this is not the case, not at all! For we see that we are not all equally disturbed by thoughts, not at the same time, not with the same objects; but everyone, insofar as he believes in the Lord about future blessings, despising human glory and voluptuousness, holds back his thoughts, and so becomes calmer than the one who loves voluptuousness; That is why we differ from one another both in thoughts and in life. And since many in this way we manage to go against the truth and seek to quench our thoughts not by the faith of Jesus, that is, not by doing His commandments, not by abasement of ourselves in everything and humility with contrition of heart, but with secret voluptuousness, I mean with vanity and man-pleasing, with self-conceit and self-exposure, discord, contentiousness, boasting and other things. similar [passions], from the satisfaction of which desirable thoughts multiply, and from failure, irritable thoughts; That’s why we cannot, since we hold the causes [of evil] within ourselves, reject the actions inherent in them. If this word is false and we are troubled by thoughts without our fault, then we will examine ourselves carefully, as if confessing to God Himself. For who does not know that we daily give room within ourselves to the above-mentioned passions in deed, word and thought? And we love those who help us in this as benefactors, and those who hinder us in this we turn away and hate as enemies? If we love the above-mentioned passions so much that we even obviously defend them, then how can we hate the attack that occurs in one thought? If the first thought is accepted, how will the thoughts that depend on it not follow? 16. Question. But even if we assume that this is exactly what happens, is it [known] from the Gospel that the Lord promised to take vengeance on those who cry out to Him night and day (Luke 18:7)? Answer . The Lord speaks this parable not to those who are immersed in voluptuousness of their own free will, but to those who are struggling from their former habits and who do not agree with them; for these, as those offended by enemies, He promised to take revenge; He denounces them as having rejected the helping commandment, saying: “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) And he likens such people to a fool, according to Scripture, who builds his church on the sand of his own will, and not on the stone of the commandments of the Lord (see: Matt. 7:46). Therefore, do not rely with an unsupported mind and unreasonable intention on all your opinions as true, sometimes saying: “After all, I was baptized, I pray to God and with all my will I attract His grace, wanting to get rid of evil thoughts, but I cannot,” - sometimes again expecting the Lord’s vengeance, which He promised to do in the Gospel, and presenting yourself everywhere as innocent, which is worthy of great reproach. However, I ask you and I briefly about the meaning of your opinion and ask you to give me an answer, knowing [in advance] that, being forced by the truth, you will either say even more highly intelligent words, or you will recognize your guilt: why does the Lord, having said that He will soon take vengeance 82, does not do it soon, but hesitates and leaves you in evil thoughts, although you pray, as you said, with all your heart and without combining them 83 ? 17. Question. He said: “I believe that the Lord hesitates [to take revenge] not for the sake of anything else, but only for the sake of my patience, for as much as anyone endures while fighting, so much will he be glorified.” Answer 84: “I thought that you would pronounce the answer as if obsessed with praise alone, but you added blasphemy. For in order to ascribe to yourself false patience, you claim that the Lord lied in His word, and you say that evil thoughts, which, according to the word of the Lord, come from the heart and defile a person, no longer lead, as the Scripture says, to wickedness, lust and all sin, but serve as the cause of patience and glory from God. But I have never seen those possessed by evil thoughts being praised by the Divine Scripture, neither in the Old nor in the New Testament, but, on the contrary, as being guilty of this, they are blamed and condemned. For God hates both evil thoughts and the heart that gives birth to them. Therefore, having them, we should cry as those who love sin, and not be arrogant as those who fight against an evil alien to us. Know for sure, O man, that the Lord looks at the hearts of all people; and for those who hate the first appearance of evil thoughts, he immediately intercedes, as he promised, and does not allow the multitude of many thoughts to rise up and defile their mind and conscience; and those who do not cast down the first vegetation of thoughts through faith and hope in God, but, as if for teaching and testing themselves, enjoy them, leaves them as unfaithful and self-helping to be beaten by subsequent thoughts, which he does not remove, for he sees that we love their first attack, and do not hate them at their first appearance. If someone does not believe what has been said even based on this explanation, then let him understand the truth, having learned by doing it himself. If he neither believes in Scripture nor wants to be convinced of this by deeds, he obviously loves the sweetness of exaltation, for what is more voluptuous than this [opinion], which advises [considering] sin in thoughts to be alien, and makes a person proud and exalted as if innocent, instead of confessing and crying about evil thoughts? 18. Question. You said above that we did not inherit Adam’s crime, but the death that came from it; So, if death rules, then evil thoughts also rule? Answer . O malice! 85 Why did the Lord come in the flesh? Is it not for this, without a doubt, that one will die for all, according to the Scriptures, and abolish the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil? (see: Heb. 2:14) If you believe that death, which originated from Adam, reigns without [the participation of] our evil faith, then it is obvious that you deny the coming of the Lord, and recognize baptism as imperfect if paternal death reigns over those baptized without their own guilt 86. Therefore, listen, O man, how by the grace of Christ you have become a new Adam and have nothing in you of the old, by necessity, except what has come from your own malice and voluptuousness. The Lord came for us, died for us, delivered us from the death of our forefathers, cleanses us and renews us through baptism, places us in the paradise of the Church; allows you to eat from every tree of paradise, i.e. [commands] everyone baptized in the Church to love and tolerate his shortcomings, and not to condemn everyone in his changes, and to love in what seems good, and to hate in what seems evil. This is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (cf. Gen. 2:9), having tasted of it, the mind immediately falls into the same shortcomings and, through a crafty search for the sins of its neighbor, recognizes its exposure, which it did not know before, when it was covered with compassion. Therefore, the Lord commanded those placed in the church paradise, saying: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and condemn not, lest ye be condemned; let go, and it will be forgiven you” (Luke 6:37); A little higher than this he says: “Whatsoever ye will, let men do unto you, and ye shall do unto them the same; “Here are the law and the prophets” (Luke 6:31. Matt. 7:12); for the law says: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Lev.19:18), but the prophets [say]: “In the same way you created it, so be it for you” (cf.: Hab.1:15). How many times have we profaned these commandments! How many times have you condemned your neighbor without compassion! How many times have we hated or offended someone who has not offended us in any way! If this is so, then why else do we blame Adam for our evil [deeds]. For even if we fell into the death he deserved, we, like him, arbitrarily violated the commandment. Three things happened to Adam, and not one, as you think, namely: a strike according to [God’s] providence, a crime due to his own unbelief, and death according to the righteous judgment of God, which followed not a providential attack, but a crime due to his unbelief. So, we inherited by succession not crime, but death, for it was impossible for us, [descended] from the dead, to be alive until the Lord came and gave life to all who believed in Him. We have the first appearance of a thought 88 just like He did, but whether to disobey or not to disobey a commandment is in our will, just as it was with Him; and that the crime that occurs through thoughts depends on our will, and is not forced, we are assured of this by those who, as the apostle said, did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s crime (see: Rom. 5:14); if they, descending from Adam, were able not to sin, in the likeness of Adam’s crime, then it is obvious that we can do this too if we wish. Why do we offer apologies for our sins and say lies against God that He unrighteously allowed us to be overcome by alien evil? We must know for certain that after all Adam’s guilt has been destroyed by the Lord, each of us, if he suffers any evil, suffers it through his own fault, having rejected through his unbelief, that is, voluptuousness, the perfection that he received mysteriously in baptism. For even if man did not yet know what he had received, being imperfect in faith and poor in doing [good], God gave him what was perfect, for Scripture says: “Every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). But this very perfect [gift] is not acquired simply and not by chance by anyone, even if he uses all human wisdom and all worldly knowledge for this, but only by doing the commandments of Christ, and this is in proportion, for according to the difference of doing and this gift is revealed to us differently. So, let no one praise himself in words and images without having that praise that the Apostle mentioned when he said: “Do not praise yourself, this one is skilled, but the Lord praises him” (2 Cor. 10:18); but even the one who receives praise from the Lord must follow the correct way of thinking and know for certain that no matter how much someone strives against his unbelief, succeeds in faith and receives any good, not only by simple knowledge, but also by action, he has not found and cannot gain anything more than what he first received mysteriously through baptism, i.e. Christ: “For as many as you have,” says Scripture, “have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27); Christ, as the perfect God, gave to those who were baptized the perfect grace of the Holy Spirit, which does not accept application from us, but is revealed to us and appears as we do the commandments and gives us the application of faith until we achieve everything in the union of faith, in a perfect man, to the measure of the age of the fulfillment of Christ (Eph. 4:13). So, what we bring to Him, having been regenerated, this is already from Him and by Him was hidden in us [before] according to what is written: “Who understands the mind of the Lord? Or who will be His adviser? Or who gave to Him first, and will be rewarded to Him? For from Him and by Him and in Him are all things” (Rom. 11:34–36). To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. The fifth word. Advice from the mind to your soul 1. Hear, reasonable soul, accomplice of my conferences, I want to tell you a secret and general thing, which I did not know, not having been cleansed from passions, and only comprehended when I had somewhat calmed down from them by the grace of God. I clearly learned, O my soul, that you and I, possessed of unnatural actions, are drawn into error by ignorance and therefore blame others for our sins, claiming that evil is outside of us; sometimes we blame Adam, sometimes Satan, and sometimes other people, and, thinking that we are fighting with others, we are fighting with ourselves, and, believing that we are protecting each other, you and I, we are fighting against each other; and, thinking that we are benefiting ourselves, like a madman, we annoy ourselves; We are rightly subjected to useless labor and reproach, because we think that we love the commandments, but, out of self-delusion, we hate the reasons for fulfilling them. So, I have reliably learned that no power unjustly forces us to either good or evil, but that from the time of baptism, at the beginning of actions, to whom we of our own free will serve, God or the devil, he then justly encourages us to everything that constitutes his domain. 2. And the beginnings of actions are two attacks of thoughts, not noticed by the mind: human praise and pleasing the body, which, when involuntarily attacked to us, before our will agrees with them, do not constitute either vice or virtue, but serve only to expose the inclination of our will, where we bow. The Lord wants us to endure reproaches and depress ourselves, but the devil wants the opposite; and therefore, when we rejoice over the above-mentioned objectives, it is obvious that, having disobeyed the Lord, we are inclined towards a voluptuous spirit; when we grieve over the mentioned battles, it is obvious that we bow to God, having loved the narrow path. That is why these two attacks were allowed to attack people, so that those who love the commandment of God and delight in it would bow their will before Christ and He, having found the entrance into them, would direct their minds to the truth. Also understand the opposite: those who, on the contrary, love human glory and pleasing the body, give entry to the devil, and he, having found his entrance, offers us his evil suggestions and, as we enjoy the thoughts of them, does not cease to add to them, until we hate from the heart the two above-mentioned attacks. But we love them so much that not only for their sake do we betray virtue, but on occasion we also change these very battles from one to another: sometimes we depress the body for the sake of vanity, sometimes we endure dishonor for the sake of voluptuousness. When we carelessly agree with them, we begin to look for the substance that returns them. The substance of vanity and bodily pleasure is the love of money, which, according to Divine Scripture, is the root of all evil (1 Tim. 6:10). 3. But you will tell me, O beloved soul, that we do not collect gold and do not have wealth. And I will tell you in response to this that neither gold nor estates in themselves bring harm, but, as we said, their biased abuse is harmful. For there were rich people who, having no attachment to wealth, pleased God, like holy Abraham, righteous Job and David; and some of us, even without wealth, through unimportant things, have cultivated in ourselves the passion of covetousness. Thus, we are worse than those who have acquired great wealth, because, having abandoned the suffering assigned to everyone, we indulge in passions with some cunning, as if wanting to hide from God, for, running away from the love of money, we do not run away from the love of sensuality; Without hoarding gold, we collect unimportant things; We do not accept superiors and power, but we grasp in every possible way the glory and praise associated with them; we have abandoned acquisitions, but we do not abandon the enjoyment of them; if we decide to abandon [the enjoyment of them], then not in order to avoid covetousness, but as if abhorring the creatures of God, thinking to ourselves: “Touch not, taste, touch” (Col. 2:21). When you hear, O beloved soul, about the crime of Adam and Eve, then believe that at first it happened to them; Now you will find that the same thing mentally happens to me and to you. For all this, according to the word of the Apostle, was received by him: and it was written for our teaching, in which the ends of the ages have reached (1 Cor. 10:11). For, having been reborn through baptism and being installed in the paradise of the Church, we have transgressed the commandment of Him who regenerated us. The Lord commanded us to love all those of the same faith and from everyone, through patience, to eat the fruit they bring to us, according to what is said in Scripture: “Take food from every tree that goes to paradise” (Gen. 2:16), and we, following the suggestion of the serpent, loved some as good, while we hated others as evil; which means the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, having eaten from which we die mentally, not because God created death, but man brought it upon himself by hating his neighbor, for Scripture testifies that God did not create death, does not rejoice at the destruction of the living (Wis. 1:13); He is not subject to the passion of anger, does not invent a way to take revenge, does not change according to the dignity of each, but created everything with wisdom (Ps. 103:24), having predestined to judge everything according to the spiritual law. Therefore, He did not say to Adam: “If you destroy the day, I will kill you,” but, warning them, foretells the law of righteousness to them, saying: “If you destroy the day, you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17). And in general, the Lord ordained that for every deed, good or evil, a suitable reward should follow naturally, and not according to a special purpose, as some who do not know the spiritual law think. We, who know him partly, must remember that if we hate one of our fellow believers as evil, then God will hate us as evil; and if we reject anyone from repentance as a sinner, then we will also be rejected [by God] as sinners; and if we do not forgive our neighbor’s sins, then we ourselves will not receive forgiveness for our sins. Announcing this law, our Lawgiver Christ told us: “Judge not, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, lest you be condemned; let go, and it will be forgiven you” (Luke 6:37). Knowing this law, the holy Apostle Paul clearly said: “When you judge a friend, you condemn yourself” (Rom. 2:1). And the prophet, not knowing this, cried out to God: “For You have rewarded everyone according to his deeds” (Ps. 61:13); and another prophet, on behalf of God, says: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord” (Rom. 12:19. Compare: Deut. 32:35). 4. But why am I talking about this separately? When all the divine Scripture, both Old and New, and especially the great psalmist, shows us this law more clearly than others, 89 so that, having learned its spirituality and mysterious predestination and fearing our variability in everything, we try not only openly, but also secretly [in the depths of our hearts] to love our neighbors. For this law is not the law of Moses, which judged what is visible, but a spiritual law, convicting also what is hidden. However, the Law of Moses was given by God Himself and was in accordance with its time. This same law [i.e. spiritual] replenished it [i.e. Moses] by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said: “I did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it” (Matthew 5:17). Therefore, we must speak about every matter once, and then forgive the one about whom we think that he has offended us, even if this offense had the right basis, even if it did not have it at all, knowing that the reward for forgiveness of offenses exceeds the reward of any other virtue. And if we cannot do this because of the sin that has prevailed over us, then we must, with vigil and suffering, pray to God to have mercy on us and give us such strength 90. At the same time, O beloved soul, at every time, in every place and in every deed, we must have one intention, so that in the event of various insults from people we rejoice, and not grieve: to rejoice not simply and not without reasoning, but because we have the opportunity to forgive someone who has sinned [against us] and to receive forgiveness of our own sins. For in this 91 lies the true knowledge of God, which is more comprehensive than any knowledge and with the help of which we can pray to God and be heard; this is the fruitfulness of prayer 92, this proves our faith in Christ; through this we can take up our cross and follow Christ (see: Matt. 16:24); this 93 is the mother of the first and great commandments, for through this we can love God with all our hearts and our neighbor as ourselves (see: Luke 10:27); For this purpose, we must fast, remain in vigil and suppress our body, so that our heart and inner disposition open up, accept it 94 into ourselves and no longer spew it out. Then, because we forgive our neighbor’s sins, we will find that the grace secretly given to us at holy baptism will no longer act in us unknown, but perceptibly for our consciousness and feelings. 5. This virtue is hampered by two passions: vanity and voluptuousness; and therefore, first of all, one must renounce them in mind and then try to acquire this virtue 95. Therefore, O soul, having surrendered yourself voluntarily to these two passions, do not blame anyone: neither Adam, nor the devil, nor other people, but enter into the struggle with your will and do not neglect this; This struggle is internecine, and it is not external - for we will not have to fight with our neighbors - but internal, and none of the people will help us. We will have only one Helper, mysteriously hidden in us from the time of baptism, Christ, Who is invincible and from Whom nothing is hidden. He will help us in this struggle if we, according to our strength, fulfill His commandments. Our opponents, as stated above, are voluptuousness combined with the body, and vanity, which possesses me and you. They deceived Eve and deceived Adam: voluptuousness pointed out the tree as good food and is pleasing to see with the eyes, and vanity added to this: you will be like gods, knowing good and evil (Gen. 3:5,6). Just as the first-created Adam and Eve [having recognized their nakedness] began to be ashamed of each other, so we, having rejected kindness from our mental eyes and seeing ourselves naked, are ashamed of each other in our conscience and so we sew together fig leaves for ourselves, putting on the outer cover of words, feigned actions and self-justifications. The Lord makes us leather clothing and says: “In your patience gain your souls” (Luke 21:19), and in accordance with this he advises: “Whoever gains his soul,” that is, in vindictiveness or in some other sin, will destroy it; and whoever loses his life 96 will find it (Matthew 10:39) in eternal life,” in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom is due all glory, honor and worship, together with His beginningless Father and the life-giving Spirit forever. Amen. Word six. About spiritual paradise and law 97 Just as one can understand the innermost way of thinking from obvious deeds, so one can understand from the deeds of the soul what is said in the Scriptures. But not everyone can [comprehend] this, but only those who have partially acquired dispassion through suffering. For Scripture will tell both the future and the affairs of the soul, because the future is all hidden in it spiritually, and what anyone is a partaker of here, he will also be a partaker there. So, when you hear the Scripture telling about paradise, Adam and the serpent, listen dispassionately to your heart and you will find that paradise is the word of God; the delight in it is the communion of the Holy Spirit; The serpent, who kills by disobedience, is a creeping voluptuousness, crawling through friendship and enticing us to eat from the tree, that is, from the cares of everyday life; [for it is said]: “Do not worry about the morning” (Matthew 6:34). Also, both [prohibitions] were said collectively by the same God: “If you eat one day from the tree, you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17) and: “Take heed, lest your hearts be burdened with gluttony” (Luke 21:34); because the darkness that comes from gluttony and care [of this life] mortifies the soul, driving it out of the spiritual word and depriving it of Divine action. So, the Lord forbids us to eat from this tree, saying: “Do not worry about anything, only about the Kingdom.” For those who entered [this] paradise of God and kept this commandment were not expelled; but, having restrained themselves from earthly things, they enjoyed spiritual things a hundredfold, being effectively and likewise comforted by grace. So, let us also pray that we may preserve it [this commandment], so that, by remaining in the word of the Lord, we may enjoy the pleasure of the Spirit both here and in the future. 2. Just as Adam, having eaten from the tree of understanding, is expelled, so one who philosophizes on earthly things cannot remain in the word of Christ, according to what is written: “The love of this world is enmity against God” (James 4:4). That is why Scripture says: “Guard your heart with all care” (Prov. 4:23), so that the one who keeps the word of God within himself, like paradise, will enjoy grace, not listening inside to the reptile serpent, who advises [to choose] what serves for sweetness, from which fratricidal irritability is born, and the soul that gives birth to it dies. But listen to the Lord, who says: “Strive for faith and hope, from which is born a God-loving and humane love that gives eternal life.” Noah entered this paradise, keeping the commandment and doing it, and through love he was delivered from anger. While preserving this [paradise], Abraham heard the voice of God. Keeping this [paradise], Moses received glory on his face. In a similar way, David, keeping this [paradise], did and therefore dominated over his enemies. But Saul, as long as he kept his heart, was successful; when he finally transgressed [the commandment], he was completely abandoned. For the word of God acts in each [person] according to [his will] and in accordance with [his doing]. Whoever owns as much, takes possession of as much; whoever stores as much, we keep as much. 3. Therefore, all the saints, prophets, apostles and martyrs kept the word in their hearts, having no concern for anything else, but despised earthly things and remained in the commandment of the Holy Spirit, preferring what is God-loving and good, not in word and simple understanding, but in word and deed - in reality itself: choosing poverty instead of wealth, dishonor instead of glory, dejection instead of pleasure. yourself, and therefore instead of irritability - love. For, hating the sweet things of this life, they loved more those who take it away, as those who contribute to their intentions, moving away from both good and evil, they did not deny good people, they did not blame evil people, they considered everyone to be responsible servants of the Master's providence and had a good disposition towards everyone. When they heard the word of the Lord: “Let go, and it will be forgiven you (Luke 6:37),” then they considered those who offended them to be their benefactors, recognizing that they had given them a reason for the remission of [their sins]. When they heard the word of the Lord: “Let men do whatever you will, and do likewise to them” (Luke 6:31) - then they loved the good according to their conscience. For, having abandoned their truth and sought the truth of God, they gradually found love, which by nature is hidden within. 4. And the Lord, having given many commandments about love, commanded to seek the truth of God, knowing that she is the mother of love. For it is impossible to be saved otherwise than through your neighbor, as the Lord commanded, saying: “Let go, and it will be forgiven to you.” Such a spiritual law, written in the hearts of believers, is the fulfillment of the first law: “For I did not come,” says [the Lord], “to destroy the law, but to fulfill it” (Matthew 5:17). How is it fulfilled, understand: the first law, condemning the one who sinned [against his neighbor] with some just guilt, also condemned the offended one, since for what someone judges, he condemns himself, and for what he forgives, he will be forgiven 98; for the law says so: for condemnation - condemnation, for remission - remission. Therefore, fulfilling the law is forgiveness. 5. We said “the first law” not because God gave two laws to people, but one spiritual law by nature, and in relation to retribution pronouncing a righteous sentence: to the one who forgives - forgiveness, and to the one who seeks - punishment, for it is said: “You will be chosen with the elect, and corrupt with the obstinate” (Ps. 17:27). Therefore, those who perform it spiritually and, as they complete it, become partakers of grace, love not only those who did good, but also those who reviled and persecuted them, expecting to acquire spiritual love as a reward for the good; But the good ones, I say, not only because they forgive insults, but because they also do good to the souls of those who offend them, they pray to God for them, as if through them they receive bliss, according to what is said in Scripture: “Blessed are you when they reproach you, and they destroy you” (Matthew 5:11), and so on. 6. They learned to be wise in this way from the spiritual law, for when they endured and observed mental meekness, the Lord, seeing the patience of a struggling heart, but not retreating from love, destroyed the mediastinum of the fence and completely abolished enmity, so that no longer with effort, but with God’s help they received love, for the Lord finally restrains the turning weapon that raises thoughts; and they also entered into the innermost part of the curtain, where the Lord, the forerunner of us, appeared (Heb. 6:20), and enjoyed the fruits of the Spirit, and, seeing the future with the constancy of the heart, like a mirror in fortune-telling, in agreement with the apostle they said: “Whose eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has breathed into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love Him” ( 1 Cor.13:12; 2:9). 7. Question. But I ask about this wonderful thing: if there is no sigh in a person’s heart, how do you know this? Having especially confessed in Acts, that you also are subservient to us as men (Acts 14:15)? Answer . But listen to what blessed Paul answers to this: “But to us,” he says, “God has revealed it by His Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:10). But lest anyone should say that the Holy Spirit was given to them, as to the apostles, but He is by nature inconceivable to us, therefore [the apostle] says, praying: “May God give you the strength to be established in your inner man, to let Christ dwell in your hearts; The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (Eph.3:16; 2Cor.3:17); and again he says: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Rom. 8:9). So, let us pray that we too may receive the grace of the Holy Spirit in every assurance and sensation and enter where we were expelled from, and may the soul-killing serpent and the vain counselor, the spirit of [worldly] care and drunkenness, turn away from us, so that we, firmly believing, keep the commandments of the Lord and grow in Him into a perfect man, according to the measure of age (see: Eph. 4:13), so that [from unbelief] love for this world has not taken possession of us; but if only we were convinced in spirit and did not disbelieve that the grace of God favors even sinners who repent. For what is bestowed by grace is no longer commensurate with the previously existing weakness, because then grace would no longer be grace. But, having believed in the omnipotent God, let us approach with a simple and inquisitive heart the One who gives communion of the Spirit by faith, and not in comparison with the works of nature, for it is said: “You did not receive the Spirit by the works of the law, but by the hearing of faith” (Gal. 3:2). 8. Question. You said that everything spiritual is hidden in the soul; So, what does it mean “I want to speak five words in the church with my mind” (1 Cor. 14:19)? Answer . The Church is understood in two ways: as an assembly of the faithful and as the totality of the [forces] of the soul. So, when it is spoken spiritually about a person, the Church is his entire composition, while the five words are common virtues that build up the whole person and are shared in various ways. For just as he who speaks of the Lord in five words has grasped all wisdom, so he who follows the Lord in five virtues builds up much piety. Being [the number] five, they embrace everything. The first is prayer, then abstinence, almsgiving, poverty, long-suffering. These virtues, performed with desire and will, are the words of the soul, pronounced by the Lord and heard by the heart, for the Lord acts, and the Spirit then speaks mentally, and the heart, as much as it desires, fulfills it openly. But [these] virtues, just as they embrace all [the others], give birth to each other; for when the first becomes impoverished, all are destroyed, and in the same way the second [supports] those that follow, and so do the rest. For how can anyone pray without being moved to do so by the Spirit? This is what Scripture also testifies to when it says: “No one can speak of the Lord Jesus except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3). How can anyone patiently remain abstinent without the help of prayer? And whoever does not abstain in everything, how will he have mercy on the poor or offended? And besides, he who is unmerciful cannot have arbitrary poverty. There is also irritability in the desire for possessions of a co-educator, whether someone has acquisitions or not. A virtuous soul is created together with those in the church not by what it has accomplished, but by what it has desired, for it is not one’s own work that saves a person, but He who has given the power to do so. So, if anyone has not suffered the plague 99, let him not have self-importance, even if he has done something 100 [good] or even been trained in such actions. Do not ever think of prefacing the Lord with virtue, according to what was said: “As this is [act] in you, even to will, and to do for good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). 9. Question. Why does Scripture command man to do this? Answer . We said above that man by nature has the ability to train himself [for good], and God requires this [of him]. For he commands that [a person] first understand [what should], having understood, love it and voluntarily learn [it]; and so that the mind is active and [a person can] bear labor and complete the work, the grace of the Lord gives to those who wish and believe. Human will is, as it were, an essential condition; where the will is not present, there He does not create anything, although He can as God; but he does not do this for the sake of autocracy [given to man]. So, the performance of [good] actions depends on God, but this is human will. However, if we surrender our entire will to Him, then the whole matter is attributed to us. God is wonderful in everything and by no means incomprehensible to the mind; but we humans attempt to depict in words some of His miracles, basing ourselves on the Scriptures, being more admonished by Him. “For who,” says Scripture, “understands the mind of the Lord, or who is His counselor? " (Rom. 11:34) God Himself says: "For as much as thy fellow children desired, they did not desire" (Matt. 23:37). Therefore, we must believe that He Himself gathers us, and seeks only our will; and what does the manifestation of our will consist of, if not in voluntary labor? For like iron, when it cuts, slashes, cultivates the earth, plants, being forced, it deepens itself, but someone else moves it and imposes it, and when [the iron] is broken, it kindles and renews; So, although a person is oppressed and weary, doing good, the Lord works in him secretly. And when he becomes weary and contrite in heart, he consoles and renews him, just as the prophet says: “Will the ax be glorified without a cleaver?” Or will the saw ascend without the attractor? "(Is.10:15) The same thing happens with regard to evil: when a person is obedient and ready for it, then Satan persecutes and encourages him, like a thief with a sword. We likened the heart to iron because of its insensibility and great cruelty; but we should not, like insensitive iron, not know the Owner [of us], since we are easily transferred from the Master of the word to the thought of the evil one, but rather, we should, like the ox and the donkey, recognize the One who compels and leads us according to His understanding. For the Scripture says: “The ox and the donkey knew his master’s crib, but Israel did not know Me” (Is. 1:3). So, let us pray in order to acquire the knowledge of God and learn the spiritual law to fulfill His commandments. Amen. The seventh word. About post 101 Those who strive must, having begun [the feat of virtue], carry it to the end. For young and old, who have a healthy body and are not afraid of either work or bitterness, it is more useful and firm to love 102 constant fasting with all zeal: to eat bread in measure and from time to time [in measure] to drink water (cf. Eze. 4:10,11), so as to finish dinner, still feeling some hunger and thirst, so that there is no enjoyment [of food and drink] an obstacle to the necessary service of God. For if we, having tasted [any food], want to be satisfied with it, then soon, giving in to despondency (ἀκηδιάσαντες), we will desire another; when we receive this and are satisfied with it, then we will reject this one, like the first one, and turn to a more pleasant desire; If we receive this too and are satisfied with it, then this last one, like the rest, will be rejected and abandoned. And it is impossible that if we indulge in the desire to console ourselves [with food] more than with fasting, we will [ever] be satisfied. What food was more precious than manna? But when the Israelites, having eaten it, were full and could not wish for anything better, then they wished for the worst - garlic and scarlet onions (see: Numbers 11: 5,6). From which it is clear that in saturation lies the desire for something else. So, if, when we are satisfied with bread, we desire other [foods], then, while we are eating it, let us not be satisfied, so that when we are always hungry, we will desire to be satisfied with bread, so that we may avoid the harm that comes from desire, and gain righteousness from abstinence 103 . 2. But perhaps one of those who are more lazily disposed to fasting will say: “Is it a sin for a man to eat food?” But we also advise you to beware of this not as a sin, but as one that results in sin, for the Israelites sinned not in that they desired, but in that, as a result of their desire, they slandered God and fell into wickedness, saying: “Will God be able to prepare a meal in this desert? - and after He had prepared it for them, the wrath of God struck many among them and bound their chosen 104 (see: Ps. 77:19,21,22,31), so that they, remaining alive and desiring another food, would not utter words [murmur] against the Most High and [for this] the last of them would not be destroyed. It is not easy to master a shameless belly, for it is God (cf. Phil. 3:19) to those who are conquered by it, and it is impossible for anyone who obeys it to be innocent. And not only from satiety, but also from not eating food, I see disaster, for when we do not eat food for many days, then despondency, having found a place in us, will rise up and fight us and our night vigil casts us into sleep, and our daytime prayer into carnal thoughts, so that we do not receive any benefit due to sleep and are subject to greater harm from carnal thoughts, for, like more than others When we fast, we begin to become arrogant and humiliate the lesser, and this is worse than any sin. Just as an unreasonable farmer, if he cultivated his field at many costs and left it unsown, worked at a loss to himself, so we, if, having enslaved our body with great attention to ourselves, we do not sow the seeds of prayer, then it turns out that we have worked against ourselves. 3. But perhaps someone will say: “If the main matter of truth lies in prayer, then what is the need for fasting?” Great in every way, for just as a poor farmer sows in a field overgrown with bad grass without cultivating the land again, then instead of wheat he will reap thorns, so we, if we sow the seed of prayer without first suppressing our body with fasting, then instead of righteousness we will bear the fruits of sin. For this body is from the same earth, and unless it is cultivated with the same diligence as the earth, it will never produce the fruit of righteousness. What we said before this was not said in order to deter those who want to benefit from fasting, but as a warning to those who do not want to harm themselves with it, for just as fasting benefits those who begin it wisely, so it harms those who begin it foolishly. Therefore, those who care about the benefits of fasting should beware of its harm, i.e. vanity, and the bread that we eat, at the end of the fast assigned to ourselves, we must divide into days of not eating food, so that, eating a small portion every day, we can subdue the wisdom of our flesh and have a strong heart in the most useful prayer, so that in this way, by the power of God, having been preserved from heaping, we have the care all the days of our life to remain in humility, without which no one can ever please God. 4. After all, if we tried to practice humility, then there would be no need to punish us, for everything evil and sorrowful that happens to us happens to us for our exaltation. If an angel of Satan was allowed to attack the apostle, so that he would not become arrogant, and play dirty tricks on him (2 Cor. 12:7), how much more on us, when we become arrogant, Satan himself is allowed to trample on us until we humble ourselves. Our forefathers owned houses, had wealth, had wives, cared for children, and at the same time, because of their insatiable humility, they talked with God, but we withdrew from the world, despised wealth, left our homes and, thinking that we were with God, were mocked by demons for our exaltation. He who exalts himself does not know himself, for if he saw his own madness and weakness, he would not be exalted, and how can he who does not know himself know God? If he could not know his own madness, in which he remains, then how will he be able to know the wisdom of God, from which he is far and alien? He who knows God contemplates His greatness and, reproaching himself, says like blessed Job: “Even before the ears I heard You first, but now my eye sees You. In the same way, I have reproached myself and have fallen, and I think of earth and ashes (Job.42:5,6). So those who imitate Job know Him. Therefore, if we also desire to see God, let us reproach ourselves and be humble, so that we not only see Him before us, but, having Him living and resting in us, enjoy Him; for in this way our foolishness will be made wise by His wisdom and our weakness will be strengthened by His power in our Lord Jesus Christ, who has made us abundantly worthy of this gift, so that He may be glorified in us and our enemy Satan, our rival, may be most put to shame by us. For our Lord Jesus Christ is due glory and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen. Paragraphs are numbered according to SC. – Note. ed. In many manuscripts the word “reading” is added: “understood by experience.” – Note. ed. Wed: Matt. 20, 34. Mk. 10, 50–51. This means labors that cause grief to the body, such as: vigil, fasting, prayer, kneeling, etc. - Note. lane Patiently enduring insult. – Note. lane See: 2 Cor. 13, 5. According to the Synodal translation: “Or do you not know (ούκ έπιγινώσκετε) yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless you are what you should be (εί μήτι αδόκιμοι έστε).” 'Αδόκιμος – lit.: “unfit”, “defective”. – Note. ed. Greek άδης – hell, Hades – etymologically means “invisible”. – Note. ed. This does not apply to everyone, but only to those who have already cleansed their hearts of passions; to the weak and passionate St. Mark says this below: “Before you destroy evil [from yourself], do not obey your heart. For whatever is invested in it, such applications it requires” (see below, Chapter 178). “He who is under sin cannot by himself overcome the carnal will, for he has an incessant kindling contained in his members” (see verse 2, chapter 146). “The passionate must remain in prayer and obedience, for even with the help of [the mentor] it is hardly possible to fight with the former sinful habits” (see page 2, chapter 147). – Note. lane Lit.: “beggars.” – Note. ed. Those. rushing, advancing; on the path of asceticism. – Note. ed. Apparently, this statement should be understood in accordance with sayings 58, 59 and 85: there is no point in justifying oblivion, since only the person himself is to blame for this oblivion. “Knowledge of what is useful” is given to all people, so oblivion cannot be natural. – Note. ed. The generally accepted translation of the word φρόνησις is “prudence,” however, it is valid only for ancient culture (along with justice, prudence and moderation, prudence was one of the four ancient virtues). In the Christian tradition, the word φρόνησις acquired the meaning of “wisdom” (see: A Patristic Greek Lexicon / Ed. G. W. H. Lampe. Oxford, 1961. P. 1490–1491). It is noteworthy that the words denoting other ancient virtues underwent even more serious semantic changes: the word δικαιοσύνη instead of “justice” began to mean “righteousness”, and σωφροσύνη instead of “prudence” - “chastity”. – Note. ed. Lit.: “to the most pious” (τον ευλαβέοτατον). – Note. ed. Those. active life (as opposed to contemplative). – Note. ed. Lit.: “indifferent”, i.e. without attachment. – Note. ed. According to the pre-revolutionary translation of Optina Pustyn, the enemy “subjects those subject to himself to the labors of repentance.” In this case, it remains unclear how the devil can “subject” the sinner to repentance. According to the translation of St. Theophan the Recluse, the enemy makes a person “guilty” of the labors of repentance, that is, he leads a person into sin (which in itself requires repentance), but repentance itself remains a matter of a person’s free will; and if a person does not repent, then the devil gets the opportunity to “burden him with involuntary painful sorrows (and burdens that God usually sends to such people for admonition)” (see: Philokalia. In 5 vols. T. 1. M., 1895. P. 528). – Note. ed. For example, a person who indulges in ascetic deeds out of vanity. In connection with the statement of Rev. Mark is interested in the thought of the blj. Augustine that the Romans were ready to suppress any passion for the sake of achieving power, and “they subordinated all their other passions to this great passion” (Blessed Augustine of Hippo. On the City of God, V, 12). – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “does not destroy.” – Note. lane That is, from “evils” (τών κακών). – Note. ed. Gal.6:7. In the original by Rev. Mark's quote is slightly modified: "For whatever everyone sows, that will he also reap." – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “...therefore we should not disbelieve in retribution.” – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “loves.” – Note. ed. See: Mk. 2, 4–5. OK. 5, 19. In some manuscripts: “dishonorable.” – Note. ed. Wed: Mk. 14:38. Matt. 26:41. OK. 22:40.46. St. Mark quotes the Gospel almost verbatim, but places semantic emphasis differently: προσεύχεσθε, ἳνα μὴ ἔλθητε εἰς πειρασμόν (“pray so that you do not fall into temptation” - Mark. 14:38); εὒχου μὴ ἐλθεῖν σοι πειρασμόν (“Pray that temptation does not come to you” - St. Mark). – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “and intentions.” – Note. ed. That is, non-believers. – Note. ed. That is, it is not the merit by which we acquire the Kingdom. – Note. ed. Some manuscripts add: “For even so the Lord loved this world” (cf. John 3:16). – Note. ed. Wed: Matt. 19, 29. Mk. 10, 29–30. In some manuscripts: “not more useful” or “not wiser or more useful.” – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “he also helps his neighbor through his [good] will.” – Note. ed. This refers to the thought of the apostle. Paul on the impossibility of man being justified by works and the necessity of justification by faith. In some manuscripts: “prudent, prudent, wise [according to Bose] (λογιστικός).” – Note. ed. In one of the manuscripts: “strong”. – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “carnal wisdom.” – Note. ed. Due to the similar spelling and pronunciation of the words αλήθεια (“truth”) and ωφέλεια (“benefit”), φιλαλήθης (“truth-loving”) and φιλόθεος (“God-loving”), this phrase received several variants in the manuscripts: “the true-loving listener brings truth”, “a truth-loving listener benefits”, “a God-loving listener benefits”, “a truth-loving listener benefits”. – Note. ed. Lit.: “disobedience.” – Note. ed. In some manuscripts the word "pure" is omitted. – Note. ed. Lit.: “in the Lord,” i.e. with God's help. – Note. ed. Apparently, we are talking about the Gospel commandments, not addressed to a specific person and not tied to a specific situation, but said in the second person plural: “Love your enemies,” etc. - Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “fearing Him.” – Note. ed. Wed: Acts. 9, 8. In some manuscripts: “mentally” (νοητώς). – Note. ed. Lit.: “containing”, “collective”, glor.: “containing”, i.e. such a sin that contains other sins and serves as their beginning. – Note. ed. Wed: Ps. 46:8; 91:2. In some manuscripts: “singing praises to the Lord Jesus.” – Note. ed. This title, compiled from inscriptions in various manuscripts, is given from the Patrology of Min (PG 65, 965). In the critical edition in the “Sources Chrétiennes” series, a short title was adopted - “On Repentance”. – Note. ed. Some manuscripts add: “and he is a transgressor of the commandments of Christ.” – Note. ed. See: Dan. 3, 26–45. These verses are found only in the Septuagint. – Note. ed. Ancestral sin. – Note. ed. Wed: 1 Cor. 15, 17. In some manuscripts, this phrase is aligned in accordance with the New Testament quote: “And since you counted the preaching as vain, therefore your faith is also vain, and you are still in your sins.” – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “baptism”, “holy baptism”, “through baptism”. – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “to strive in them [i.e. in the commandments] so as not to go back.” – Note. ed. That is, mysterious. – Note. lane In some manuscripts: “invisibly hidden [in Him].” – Note. ed. Titus 3, 5. Some manuscripts add: “and the renewal of the Holy Spirit.” – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “we go astray in the way of Cain.” – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “comprehensive and mental,” or “all-encompassing love of God [or: towards God] and mental,” or “... hope in God and right and undoubted faith.” – Note. ed. Wed: Deut. 15, 21. Different manuscripts offer different readings: “To the Lord and Heavenly King and God”, “To the Heavenly King Christ”, “To the Heavenly Bishop, Lord Christ”. – Note. ed. Lit.: “slowing down” – Note. lane According to another reading: “from the second (lust).” Some manuscripts add: “according to the Spirit,” i.e., “according to the [action] of the Spirit” (κατά το Πνεύμα). – Note. ed. In one of the manuscripts: “they are interfering with this.” – Note. ed. According to another publication: “faith acquired in intelligent hope.” – Note. lane In some manuscripts: “according to the power of Christ.” – Note. ed. In some manuscripts and publications: “and not baptized.” – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “but he who sinned” - Note. ed. In one of the manuscripts: “mental deficiencies.” – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “death for the truth.” – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “thoughts transforming from one type to another (μετασχηματισμούς).” – Note. ed. In one of the manuscripts and some publications: “we are being put to death.” – Note. lane He bows to only one side of evil. – Note. lane In some manuscripts and editions the words “but arbitrarily assigned” are omitted. – Note. ed. In one of the manuscripts, instead of the words “question” and “answer,” there are the notes “legislator” and “ascetic.” – Note. ed. That is, it happens only in one first thought. – Note. lane Wed: Luke. 18, 8. In the synodal translation: “he will file a defense soon.” – Note. ed. In some publications: “without a doubt.” – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “The Orthodox elder said...” - Note. ed. Lit.: “O [happening] from evil faith!” In some manuscripts: “O [what happened] from unbelief!” – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “fatherly law or, better said, death.” – Note. ed. In the book of Genesis in the Septuagint - του είδéναι (a verb that puts emphasis on knowledge through vision, contemplation), in St. Mark - τον γινώσχειν (a verb that puts emphasis on mental knowledge - see the further discussion of St. Mark). – Note. ed. That is, the first thought of something comes to mind regardless of our arbitrariness. – Note. lane See above: Ps. 61.13. – Note. lane For forgiveness of grievances. – Note. lane Forgiving offenses. – Note. lane In some manuscripts: “faith”. – Note. ed. Forgiveness of grievances. – Note. lane That is, the virtues of forgiveness of insults. – Note. lane That is, he will give himself up to death. – Note. lane This word in some manuscripts and publications is attributed to St. Macarius of Egypt, and in some St. Mark the Ascetic; which of them it actually belongs to, due to the lack of evidence from antiquity, this cannot be decided with certainty. Without presenting it as an undoubted creation of St. Mark, we place, however, it between the writings of this father with that addition at the beginning, which it does not have in the editions of the works of St. Macarius and which, meanwhile, is necessarily presupposed by the content of the word. – Note. lane In the critical edition this creation is absent as not belonging to St. Mark and attributed to St. Macarius. – Note. ed. See: Rom.2:1. Sir.28:2. In some manuscripts: “ulcers of the Lady.” – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “it cannot be understood that he did anything.” – Note. ed. Some manuscripts give titles: “On abstinence and humility,” “On fasting and humility.” – Note. ed. Lit.: “put forward”, “put in charge” (προΐστασθαι). – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “the truth of the heart” (consonance between ἐγκρατείας and καρδίας). – Note. ed. In some manuscripts: “strong”. – Note. ed. You might be interested in: