Часть 2

About adhering to vain praise in all things 1. “Praise the Lord in Jerusalem, praise your God in Zion,” says the prophet (Ps. 147:1). No one can be worthy of praise and glorification in everything except the One God, who created everything, in Whom all things were: “Praise the Lord,” it is said, “all nations, praise Him, all people” (Ps. 116). “Praised and glorified is the name of the Lord forever” (Dan. 3:26). And again: “Let not the wise boast in his wisdom, nor the mighty in his strength, nor the rich in his wealth; but let him boast of this, that he may know and know the Lord, and do justice and righteousness among men” (Jer. 9:23-24). 2. In all things, do not boast yourself, do not seek praise from others, do not envy those who are praised, so that you do not suffer severe deprivation in both: loss of corrections and condemnation of envy. He is skilled in everything who does not praise himself, but whom God praises. For it is said: “Let him boast in the Lord” (2 Cor. 10:17), and let him glory in the Lord, from whom all things come. When you are praised for something by people, seek consolation not in praise, but in God, who has given everything, seek true consolation. Everything human is temporary and impermanent; Everything of God is eternal and immutable. Take care of the glory of God, so that God will glorify you. If you care about the glory of God, then you yourself will not want to be vain, and God will glorify you. If, having despised God, you try only to take care of your own things, then God will leave you. 3. Do not boast yourself and do not accept those who praise you as sweetness - so that you do not accept reward for your kindness here - in human praise: “For you are flattered by evil ones, and the paths of your feet trouble you,” says the prophet (Is. 3:12). For from praise comes pride, and from pride comes pride and arrogance, and then alienation from God. It is better not to do anything glorious in the world than, having done it, to boast immensely. The Pharisee did good deeds, but when he boasted about them, he ruined everything, and the publican, having not done anything good, was saved by his humility: for one, self-praise dug a ditch, but for another, humility led out of the ditch, for it is said that “this one is justified into his house more than he” (Luke 18:14). David boasted of counting the multitude of people - and suffered the death penalty among the people. Hezekiah boasted of his abundance of wealth before the Babylonian ambassadors - and lost all his treasures. Then Nebuchadnezzar boasted about the creation of Babylon - and for seven years, like cattle, he ate grass with the cattle. 4. If you do any good, beware of great praise; If you boast, suddenly with your great praise you will destroy everything that you have acquired through labor, and you will be deprived of the grace of God, for from boasting comes exaltation, from boasting comes fall, and fall is separation from God. God, who created everything, and even then not as it should be, is glorified and magnified by people, but you, having nothing of your own, senselessly want everyone to praise and glorify you. Don’t want praise from people, don’t boast yourself. God knows, people will also know and praise you without your command if your deeds are good. If you yourself boast, everyone will despise you. If you yourself do not boast, then God and people will praise you. If you remain silent about yourself, God will speak about you. If you talk about yourself, God will remain silent about you and reject you. 5. Do not be like a “kokosh” (chicken), boasting about any of your deeds - so that you do not lose God’s help. Kokosh, when he lays his egg, immediately announces it to everyone - and, as if boasting, cackles that the egg has been laid. Don’t be so crazy, don’t present your deeds in front of everyone - so that you won’t receive a bribe from people here, but cover your deeds in silence - so that they will be known to God alone and praised by Him. For if you praise yourself, then God will not praise you; if you praise yourself, then no one will praise you; if you do not boast yourself, everyone will please you. It is better for you that others praise you than for you to boast madly: “Do not boast about the things of the morning, do not worry about what you will give birth to” (day): “Let your sincerity praise you, and not your lips,” says Solomon (Prov. 27:1-2). 6. The effect of your unreason is great when you do not want to reveal or announce your countless evil deeds to anyone, but whatever little good you have, you joyfully reveal to everyone - preferably you want to announce that everyone will praise and glorify you, in order to enjoy proud vanity from everyone. Why do you seek consolation from human praise? It is enough for you that your deeds are known to God alone and are favorable to Him. So, do not boast yourself, but expect praise from the One Lord: he who does not praise himself in anything is wise in everything, but he who boasts in anything is foolish in everything. He is stupid and very unreasonable who boasts not of his own, but of someone else’s, in the clothes or wealth of others, having nothing of his own to rely on. It's the same with you. 7. Others have committed many virtues: they squandered their property (on the poor), left wealth (to the poor), did glorious deeds, enlightened the world, made people wise, saved the souls of many and did not boast, but you, having not done anything good, without creating anything pleasing, are madly bragging about this! Do not praise yourself, but listen to the fact that God praises you: God, in addition to your great praise, will know that you will do well, and, if He pleases, He will glorify you even if you do not want to be glorified: He will glorify and will not leave anyone without a great (due) reward. If you yourself boast, you will lose your mind and will not be praised by God. 8. Do not boast of anything, do not say that you are rich, enriched with all blessings and do not demand anything, while you do not realize that you are “cursed..., poor and insignificant, blind and naked,” as the Seer of Mysteries says (Apoc. 3:17). Therefore, “whenever you have done all that was commanded to you, say, as we were unworthy servants, we have created those things that we ought to do,” says the Lord (Luke 17:10). “All human righteousness is before the Lord, like a piece of cloth thrown down to rot,” says the prophet (Is. 64:6). I know that you, a man, do not like those who boast grandly, when someone boasts before you, boasting; so God “does not like self-praisers.” But you, having nothing of your own, boast about yourself, weaving praise for yourself in front of everyone and attributing everything to yourself. “Not to us, Lord..., but to Your name give glory,” says the prophet (Ps. 113:9). You have boasted in God, and God will boast in you; love God, and God will love you. If you, seeking only your own, despise God, then God will despise you and reject you. 9 . “Why do you boast in your wickedness, the stronger?” , says the prophet (Ps. 51:3). Why do you demand praise for your goodness from others? And you yourself know what good is. Good always remains good, even if no one praises it, and evil remains evil, even if no one blames it. If all people praise you, nothing will come from it; if no one praises you, you will not lose anything. Even if no one praises you for your goodness, it will be enough for you if God Himself praises you. It means nothing to be praised by people, for it is not for the sake of people that you do anything good, but for the sake of God. Therefore, seek praise and exaltation not from people, but from the One God - so that you will be praised and glorified by Him forever and receive eternal reward from Him. 10. So, being in prosperity and veneration, do not be very ordered and, being in contempt, do not fall into grumbling and despair: in both respects, remain moderate and prudent. When something good and joyful happens to you, then rejoice, without boasting madly, and when some evil happens to you, do not indulge yourself in grief to the point of oblivion. For this age, the present age, changes very conveniently, and all things in it are perverted. Send praise and thanksgiving to God for everything and attribute everything to Him - so that He will impute everything of His to you and grant you an eternally blessed life. About not being too comforted by the veneration and glory of man, because both are changeable (delightful) 1. Do not desire, man, to be revered and glorified by people, lest you be deprived of Divine glory. Do not be too comforted by the glory of this world, lest you be suddenly upset by dishonor. After glory and reverence for humanity, dishonor usually often and unexpectedly follows, after earthly well-being - its futility, after joy and carnal fun - sorrow and sadness, for this age is changeable and all things - deeds and phenomena - are transitory in it: after well-being, after it (behind), there is always change and trouble. 2. Do not attach your heart to human honors and glory: it is flattering and short-lived; everything in the world is impermanent, except the One God and His eternal glory: everything in this world changes, and all honor and glory pass away together. Therefore, do not rest your feet on these delights, lest you remain as on the spring ice that has melted all around. Will you then have any hope of well-being? 3. Do not be narcissistic and do not be too happy about the veneration and greatness of this world - but for a short time later you will be saddened by its dishonor; Do not become too confident in honoring him, because a change in him will suddenly follow. Human reverence and glory are like a fiery spark that suddenly flashed and immediately died out, or a sea wave that rose in the blink of an eye and immediately dissipated. So, don't take much comfort from this. He who is insanely consoled by the reverence and well-being of this world, let him know that then he will suddenly grieve to the point of unconsciousness about this change. 4. Human glory and honor are never in the same measure, but constantly change, like the moon. Therefore, do not be very comforted by the veneration and well-being of this transitory world: it is followed by a sudden change. This world is impermanent, and all things in it are changeable: now glory and honor - and suddenly unexpected dishonor; now there is joy and joy - and suddenly unexpected sorrow and sadness; now health - and suddenly illness; now life - and suddenly death. The world has enriched many with many attractive honors, but death suddenly deprived them. 5. Do not be puffed up in your heart in your pride and do not be magnified by human preference, considering yourself great, but attribute this to a sleepy dream. For human veneration is fickle and very perverse. The Jews honored the Lord with branches (vai) and soon spat on Him: they revered Him a little - and suddenly they suddenly dishonored Him; some worshiped, while others prepared a cross for crucifixion; they knelt before Him and suddenly struck Him on the cheek; they cried out: “Hail, King of the Jews” (John 19:3) - and immediately they placed a crown of thorns on His most holy head. Such is the glory and veneration of men! King David was honored by the anointing of Samuel to rule - and suddenly he was persecuted by Saul. Haman was honored by King Artaxerxes more than all the princes - and was soon hanged. So suddenly worldly well-being and human veneration change! 6. The world and its honors are wicked. When a person is prosperous, then everyone honors and glorifies him, and when he is in contempt, everyone turns away. When a person is in prosperity, then he has many friends and caresses, or flatterers, and when he is in misery, everyone is far from him. The apostles, when Christ enjoyed respect and amazement from everyone, everyone followed Him, and when He suffered, everyone left Him and ran far away. So, do not rely on human well-being and veneration, but place all your hope and trust in God: day and night, always ascend to Him, the One, with your heart and mind. 7. Human preference and glory follow prosperity, like a shadow follows the sun. When the sun is shining, then there is a shadow, and when the sun is not visible, then the shadow is hidden. So, all people praise and honor someone who is prosperous, but when he is disadvantaged in some way, everyone despises and turns away from him. This is like a yellow field flower, which develops as the sun rises from the east, and when the sun sets to the west, it curls up again and is never in the same form. Such is this world with its customs and worship! 8. People often sweetly praise and honor someone to your face, but when they leave, they bitterly condemn and slander you. Today they approve, and tomorrow they condemn. In front of the eyes it’s like this, but behind the eyes it’s different. Human veneration is fickle and changeable, very seductive and perverse. Some honor, others dishonor; some praise, others blame; some say good, others say evil. Human glory and veneration can never be constant and uniform, but they are always variable. 9 . This world with its worship is so structured that it always rotates like a mill wheel: it always and incessantly turns from top to bottom, from bottom to top, and when the water stops flowing, then it (the wheel) stands “idle.” This world is always hypocritical: for those standing at the height of reverence, changes from winds and storms are stronger than for those walking along the valley of humility and humiliation. As great as the reverence is, so great is the fear. To the extent that someone is exalted by veneration and glory, he will later be humbled by dishonor, either here from people, or there from demons. “As soon as you become glorified and furious,” it is said, “you will give her torment and sobs” (Rev. 18:7). 10. So, as much as you are revered, consider yourself unworthy of reverence - may humility always remain in your soul. Remember death, which does not separate glory and veneration, but makes everyone equal. Where is now the famous, rich and revered? Where are the princes and gentlemen? Where are the heroes and sages of this age? Where are those who owned many countries and lands? The small coffin contained them. Where are the blooming, beautiful and splendid faces? They departed as if they had never been - they changed and left no trace of veneration and glory. About not being proud of any prophetic things in this age 1. Do not be proud and majestic - lest you become like demons; Do not be exalted in your heart, lest you be compared with them. But be meek and humble - so that you will be exalted by the Lord Himself and united with the angels: “On whom will I look but to the meek and lowly and trembling at my words,” says the Lord (Is. 66:2). Demons are especially different from angels in that they have fallen away from God because they did not remain humble and submissive. For there is nothing so vile, not only before God, but also before people, as self-exaltation and pride, just as there is nothing more kind and pleasant than meekness and humility. 2. The humble and meek are always peaceful; the proud and majestic are always agitated and embarrassed. The Lord “instructs the meek in judgment, he teaches the humble his way,” says the prophet (Ps. 24:9); “The Lord scatters the proud with the thoughts of the heart, but the humble and like-minded dwell in the house of His grace” (Luke 1:51; Ps. 67:7). Be kind and be like the angels. Do not be proud of anyone, even the smallest thing, so that you yourself will not be rejected from God. Do not be exalted in any case - yes, having fallen down, you will not be subject to any evil: “for the proud will fall and be crushed” (Jer. 50:32), “and he will not be raised up,” says the prophet (Jer. 8:4). “Do not go among the great, nor do you go lower among the marvelous than you” (Ps. 130:1) - yes, being afraid of God, you will not fall and will remain in the snares of the enemy (catcher). 3. Pride is born from madness and spiritual blindness; From reason and knowledge comes humility. If you truly knew yourself, you would not be proud: if you truly know yourself, you will not be proud. But since you still do not know yourself well and - as you should - do not understand, you are proud without meaning - you are proud of some insignificant thing or, better yet, nothing. Being thus proud and arrogant, know yourself. Know that “The Lord resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” says Solomon (Prov. 3:34, 1 Pet. 5:5). Know that the Lord accepts the meek, and humbles the proud sinners to the ground; He lifts up the humble and brings down the proud; He accepts small things from the humble, but rejects great things from the proud: he accepted one sigh from the humble publican, but rejected many virtues from the proud Pharisee. A humble sinner is better before God than a proud righteous man: “For anyone with a proud heart is an abomination to God,” says Solomon (Prov. 16:5). 4. God rejects the proud everywhere and accepts the meek: “he dethrones the mighty and lifts up the humble, fills the hungry with goods and sends the rich away empty-handed” (Luke 1:52–53). The Lord chose the humble apostles, and rejected the proud Pharisees, rejected the wise philosophers, and chose the simplest fishermen, rejected the noble and great princes, and chose the humble and poor - Joseph the treemaker and the Blessed Virgin - Mother. So, no one should be proud of the nobility of our ancestors, knowing that after God we all have one forefather - Adam; our heritage is dust and ashes. We are taken from the earth, into the earth and we will not be proud of each other, the earth will level us all and give us our fate. 5. Do not be proud, even if you have the eldest rank, so as not to teach pride and arrogance to your subordinates, for as the eldest is, so are the subordinates usually. The oldest of all people and the highest of all creation - the Lord - showed you the image of humility in Himself. He, taking a “lention” (towel), washed the disciples’ feet (John 13:5) - “he took on the form of a servant, ... he humbled himself, and was obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross,” so that we, seeing Him like this, would humble ourselves (Phil. 2:7-8) - not be proud of anything in this world. Everything will remain here, everything will turn to dust and ashes, and you alone will go where they will not look at rank and greatness, but everyone will receive from the Lord according to their deeds. 6. Do not be elevated by the temporary veneration of dignity, because it is temporary. Do not be proud of the magnificence of your eldership, because it is changeable. The dignity of nature does not take away, and the eldership of humanity does not change. And the eldest is the same person as the others: the same aphids and ashes as the others; The elder has nothing better against the slightest, except temporary respect for dignity. Therefore, let your glory and the honor of eldership not give you up to grandeur and pride, but more and more let them humble you: “Great are you,” says Sirach, “humble yourself, so that you may find grace before the Lord” (Sir. 3:18). This honor was given to you temporarily in order to correct others, and not in order to be exalted and magnified with it. This is an ordinary human rank, what is there to be proud of for the elder? Every existing thing changes: what exists is as if it were non-existent, and what is as if it were not. 7. It is not for nothing that you were given the dignity and temporary reverence of this world, but so that you show corrections and virtues performed in humility equal to your glory and reverence. Remember the end of your eldership and the sudden change in your glory - and you will never be deceived and will not place your hope in glory and honor. For this is nothing more than a sleepy dream and spring ice. It was not in vain that the ancient sages, when they elected an elder and placed a crown on him, immediately lit the flax, threw it up and said: “The glory of man fades away just as quickly as flax, thrown up, flashing and immediately falling to the ground and suddenly extinguished.” 8. Let kings, princes and nobles not boast of their majesty, for at the time of death, dignity and majesty will not help anything, but will even serve as a great burden. Let no one say: “I am noble, and he is ugly; I am rich and he is poor.” The death of each of us will equally reconcile and smooth out any difference. In the coffin, by the bare bones, it is impossible to know who is noble or ignorant, who is rich or poor, who is famous or inglorious. Therefore, let no one be exalted in his glory, or treasures, or any wealth. For we will all go there naked, we will take nothing with us, nothing will remain with us except our deeds that we have done in this life. 9 . Why, man, will you be proud in vain in corruptible flesh? You will not find anything in yourself worthy of pride and exaltation: you were taken from the earth, to the earth and you will go again; you were created out of nothing and you don’t know where you will return again and what fate you will receive. So, do not be proud of wealth, for it disappears; Do not be proud of your carnal birth, for we are all ashes and ashes; Do not be proud of your strength, or wisdom, or the beauty of the flesh: all this is not from you - and do not be proud of anything else, for you have nothing of your own, but everything is God’s. If you want to be proud of your intelligence and wisdom, then God gave it; if by power and beauty, then God arranged everything; if by property or wealth, then God gave all this; if by nobility, then we are all earth and ashes; if by the greatness of the rank, then everything is in the hands of God, if by some good deed, then God helped this too, arranged it and strengthened it. Everything is God's, not ours. You have nothing to be arrogant about and to be proud of before others. Better consider yourself the worst of all. Appropriate everything that is yours to God - so that you will be in unity with Him in everything: with God everything will be yours, and without God you are alien to everything. 10. The proud does not follow a simple and direct path, but a stubborn one, full of thorns and thistles. “The proud have transgressed the law to the bitter end, and have strayed from Your law,” says the prophet (Ps. 119:51). This very real crime and insane evasion from the law and pride comes from ignorance of one’s weakness. There is no other way through which crime and fall occur than through pride; no heart correction comes from anything other than humility and simplicity. Wherever and whenever the fall occurred, it was always preceded by pride. For pride, Satanael was cast out of heaven; through pride the Pharisee destroyed all virtues; For his pride, Nebuchadnezzar was deprived of his kingdom - and, like cattle, he ate grass with the cattle for seven years. And thousands of thousands of falls - all come from pride. So, be always humble and always covered and kept by God’s grace, you will be without any blemish - and you will remain without falling - “without stumbling.” About always and in everything being humble before God’s people 1. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:28–29), but not the yoke of pride and exaltation, and you will find rest for your souls. You will not find peace anywhere except in humility; nowhere will you find greater embarrassment than in pride. If you want to have peace and quiet, be humble; if not, then you will spend your whole life in rumors and confusion, in grief and sadness, and you will never be free from falling. Humble yourself before everyone - so that you will be exalted by the Lord. Your self-exaltation will be pitiful if you are not exalted by God, for your exaltation is a falling away from God, but God’s exaltation in His grace. If you exalt yourself, God will bring you down; if you decline, God will exalt you. But even if God exalts you, you, however, be humble, so that you will always be exalted by the Lord. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you,” says the apostle (James 4:10). 2. Remember the image of humility: your flesh was taken from the earth and will go back to the earth again. You were brought into existence from non-existence and again it is unknown where you will turn - where you will be created by God. You did not bring yourself into existence and you do not know where you will move after your temporary existence here. So, be humble and always speak to the prophet: “Lord, my heart is not exalted; my eyes are lifted up lower; Or, as the same prophet says: “I am a worm, and not a man, the reproach of men, the humiliation of people” (Ps. 21:7). How can you not be humble when you yourself have nothing? How will you rise when you cannot do anything pleasing to God without God’s help? Be as humble as you were created by God to be humble. God created you humble, but you are exalted! God did not allow you to do anything pleasing besides Him, but you attribute everything to yourself - you exalt yourself! “What if you did not accept it, even if you did accept it, that you boasted as if you were not accepted,” says the apostle (1 Cor. 4:7). 3. Think humbly, speak humbly, think humbly, do everything humbly, so that you may be without stumbling in all your paths. Where did memory, flesh and soul come from? Who created them? And where will they go again? Know yourself internally that you are all aphids, delve inside yourself and understand that everything in you is vanity; without the grace of God you are nothing more than a dry reed, a barren tree, withered grass to be burned by fire, a rag thrown into manure, a vessel of sin, a spacious container of all filth and crazy passions, a full cup of all iniquity. You yourself have nothing good, nothing pleasing, except sin and crime, “below your age you can add one cubit, lower you can create white or black hair” (Matthew 6:27, 5:36). 4. Do not be exalted in rank, if you have it, do not be proud of the magnification of eldership: there they will not look at rank, but at good deeds, not at grandeur and pride and not at nobility, but at meekness and humility: not in pride and magnification, but “in our humility the Lord remembered us..., and delivered us from our enemies,” says the prophet ( Ps.135:23-24). Many will be found there glorious from the dishonest here, honest there from the dishonest here, and the glorious and honest here will find themselves in great dishonor; the nobles of this world will be rejected, but the noble ones will be honored; The proud and the rich will end up in Gehenna, and the poor in the kingdom of heaven, those who are exalted will be with demons, and the humble will be with the Lord. For there is not such hypocrisy as here. There the Lord will evaluate everyone and, with His righteous and impersonal judgment, put everyone in their place, depending on their deeds. So, do not be exalted in anything, but always be humble in everything: think humbly, behave humbly - so that you will be exalted by the Lord Himself. 5. How great is your rank, so great should be your humility; How great is the veneration, so great must be the humiliation of oneself - in humility, as much as people exalt you, be so humble. As much as people honor and glorify you, consider yourself unworthy of honor. Do not exalt yourself with any virtues - lest you be rejected by God. Don’t think or say that you did this and that, so that everything that’s yours doesn’t suddenly crumble before your eyes. If you have done something good, say that it was not you who did it, but the grace of God is with you. Our salvation lies not so much in our deeds as in the mercy of Christ, for God will accept whatever he wants from us, and what he does not want, he will reject. Attribute everything to God, so that He will impute everything that is yours to You and be your quick helper in everything. Do not desire eldership or any honor on earth and do not consider yourself worthy of honor in everything, but think that you are worse than everyone else. For then you will be worthy of honor when you consider yourself unworthy of it; then you will be great when you recognize yourself as small; then you will be something when you recognize yourself as nothing. 6. The Lord showed you the image of humility in himself, “having humbled himself and became obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross” (Phil. 2:8). Obedience and obedience are born from humility, and bickering and disobedience are born from pride. From humility there is appropriation to God, and from pride there is falling away from Him. You, man, have nothing to be proud of, for you have nothing of your own—you have nothing of your own. Have you ever been before in this century? I wasn't. Do you know when your mother conceived you in her womb? Or were you born this way by your own strength and according to your thoughts? Do you know how you grew so much in time and got this look? Do you understand what end you will come to? If you don’t know and don’t understand all this, then why are you in vain proud of what is not yours, but God’s?! 7. Be humble and prudent. If people attribute something to you, attribute it all to God. For all things are from Him: He created all things. Do not be surprised that others do not understand and do not know what God is. But knowing this, don’t be crazy: take it where it’s appropriate for you, attribute it where everything comes from. Everything comes from God, attribute everything to God. He is the beginning of everything; everything is attributed to Him. He contains everything, turn everything to Him. The best measure of humility is to consider yourself worse than all creation - every creature. For if you consider yourself worse than all creation, you will not be recognized as worse than all creation. Therefore, recognize yourself as the worst of all creation, so that the Lord may consider you the best of all creation. 8. But be humble, not madly; humble yourself correctly and wisely. Do not mindlessly humble yourself in any foolishness - lest you become like dumb cattle. Reasonable humility, like everything else, is accepted as a virtue, but senseless humility is rejected, for dumb brutes are often humble, but without reason, and therefore are unworthy of any praise. But be humble and wise, so as not to be deceived and ridiculed in everything by your opponents; Therefore, practice humility in a right mind, so that you are not stumbled in everything. And if you are humble, you will unite with the Lord, and if you are proud, you will be rejected from Him. Just as humility can save, so high-minded pride can destroy, which was revealed to the tax collector, and the Pharisee, and many others. 9 . What is humility? Humility is the knowledge of oneself and one's insignificance. And this knowledge of your insignificance is just, because you were created from insignificance and have nothing of yourself. How can you think anything about yourself? How unworthy of humility! How worthy of surprise it is when a person thinks a lot about himself. We all came from insignificance and do not know what will happen to us - where the Lord will determine us. We were born from aphids, from a gloomy - nondescript - seed, by the mania of the Lord, then we will turn into stench, dust and ashes, and our soul will be built, as only God, the Creator and Maker of everything knows. 10. Let all earthly minds gather together; let all philosophers think correctly, and they will be amazed at God’s miracles: how wonderful is the Lord! how strong! How merciful and reverent in His advice is greater than all the sons of men! For, having no need for man, He created man and, having created, does not demand anything from him except right reason and true repentance, so that, recognizing His good deeds, he cleaves to Him with love and, seeing that he has nothing of himself, always remains humble, offering thanks and praise to God for everything and always. About not attributing anything good to yourself 1. Do not be carried away by conceit and arrogance, thinking that you can do something good from yourself or by yourself. Without God's help, nothing good can come from you, except everything evil - every sin. For you were conceived in iniquity, and your mother gave birth to you in sins (Ps. 50:7). You have nothing of your own, everything is from the Lord. Just as you did not come from yourself, you cannot have anything good from yourself. Therefore, do not think anything about yourself: “Because I am such a worthless being, I flatter myself,” says the apostle (Gal.6:3). 2. Even if you have a good intention, you cannot, without God’s help, on your own, stand against sin and defeat it, for as a result of the primitive fall from your very birth you fell under the yoke and slavery of sin and therefore you cannot free yourself from it unless the Lord helps you and strengthens you. However, you cannot have good intentions on your own unless the Lord arouses them with His grace. If the springs of water do not give water, then the rivers will not flow; So, if the grace of the Lord does not help, everything for a person will remain empty. 3. Just as branches without a root cannot grow anything from themselves, so without the grace of God you cannot wish or do anything good. The Lord is the root, and you are the rod or the branch: until then you can do anything pleasing to God as long as you are in communion with God, and when you are separated from God, then you will fall into all evil. “Just as the rod cannot produce fruit for itself unless it is on the vine” (John 15:4), so we, unless we abide in the Lord: “Without Me you cannot do anything,” said the Lord (John 15:5). For He is the root and source of all good. 4. How can you do anything pleasing to God when your intentions are not directed towards unity with God and you do nothing for His glory? If there were any imaginary good that was not done in God, then it would not be good, because it was not done with God and not for His glory. Many people think of doing good on their own, but such good is not pleasing to God, for it is not done with God and not for His glory. No good can be good if it is not done with God and not for God, just as no evil can be evil if it is not done apart from God. For He is the beginning and the endless end of all good things. 5. No one, in fact, can do not only good, but also evil, without God’s permission for evil and without help for good, for He created everything and contains everything in His power. If someone does any evil, then he does it not with the help of God and not according to the good will of God, but arbitrarily, only by permission from God, for God is not the Helper of evil, but of good. But He sometimes allows the evil to do evil, and sometimes forbids it - at His discretion: He also sometimes helps the good, and sometimes hinders it, in order to test the free will of man in both evil and good and show the Divine power and power. 6. An evil person cannot do any evil without God’s permission, and a good person cannot do good without God’s help, despite the fact that everyone is honored by God with autocracy. And not only people, but also demons have their own goals, but they cannot go beyond their limits. But God, for well-known reasons, wants it as he wants: he often does not allow one to do evil, and does not help another in doing good, so that he, recognizing his weakness and asking Him for help, avoids conceit and, realizing that he cannot do anything on his own, always remains in humility. 7. Just as God often does not allow all evil to the evil for the sake of blessed reasons, so God does not allow good to the good. But the intention of both agrees with the deed. If an evil person could do everything evil without God’s permission, and a good person could do everything good without God’s help, then no one would want to seek God’s help in anything, no one would care about prayer and supplication: everyone would do everything according to his own will, and would not think that there is the supervision and power of God, who provides and possesses everything - in that case there would be no difference between the power of the Creator and the creature. Therefore, do not consider yourself great, but know that you are nothing. For he who thinks a lot about himself is blind in soul and not enlightened in mind. He deceives himself and goes without knowing where. 8. “Unless the Lord builds a house, it labors in vain to build it; unless the Lord preserves a city, it builds in vain,” says the prophet (Ps. 127:1). Try and be vigilant - “be sober” - for the good, and do not rely on yourself, but always, praying to God, diligently seek His help. If the Lord helps and hastens you, your work will be completed, but if not, everything you have will fall apart. Even if, in your opinion, you had something good, but the Lord was not pleased to accept it, then what good would it do you? Even if you wanted to boast in your exaltation before the Lord about some apparent good of yours, but He did not accept it, then you will not help yourself by doing so. But he will say to you: “friend, I will not offend you..., take what you have and go,” according to the Gospel parable (Matthew 20:13–14). Therefore, all our deeds depend not so much on us, but on the mercy of Christ. If you think that you mean something, then - therefore - you are nothing before Him, for that is how you understand yourself. If you consider yourself reasonable and beneficial, then - therefore - you are very unreasonable. If you recognize yourself as pure, and righteous, and holy, then you - therefore - are counted before the Lord as the most damned and most sinful of all people, for you recognize yourself as such. “Everyone who is high-hearted is unclean before the Lord,” says Solomon (Prov. 16:5). 9 . Therefore, be humble, understand your weakness, remember that everything is God’s, and not ours—everything is from God, and not from you. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,” says the apostle (James 1:17). Remember that everything is in the mercy of Christ, and not in your strength and power. Remember that you are – willy-nilly – prone to sin. Know that without God’s help you are ready for anything evil. All your labors without the help of God and His grace are a cobweb. Don’t be proud and self-important, lest you become like a demon: the demon fell away from God by ascribing everything to himself, and nothing to God, who created everything. Therefore, he lost everything - he lost the grace of God and made himself a vessel of eternal torment. Do not think that you are righteous and holy, wise and worthy of all honor; Do not think that you are better and more useful than others, but consider yourself more sinful and crazier than everyone else - an indecent slave. Without humility before God you are nothing. Success in virtue and in every endeavor depends on success in humility. 10. Do not be arrogant about yourself and do not think that you alone have surpassed everyone with your intelligence and wisdom and that you alone can embrace everything, but pay attention to the fact that the world is great and all the ends of the earth, in which there are countless numbers of persons of both ranks - spiritual and worldly, wise and reasonable, worthy of all honor and reverence - such persons who have been wonderfully made wise by the grace of the Most Holy Spirit and various fertilized such persons whom you did not follow, whom you do not know and cannot comprehend with your mind; what countless multitudes - the darkness of those - are in everything superior to you. The runner thinks that he alone runs faster than others, but when he unites with others, then he realizes his weakness. About not judging anyone else, but seeing your own evil 1. “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” said the Lord, “for by the same judgment ye judge, it will be judged to you, and ye measure with the least measure, and it will be measured back to you” (Matthew 7:1-2). Do not judge or admire the work (rank) of the Lord in any way, for One is the Judge - God, who has to judge the living and the dead. And you, earthly man, look after yourself, pay attention to yourself: you also have something for which you are worthy of judgment, you yourself expect judgment for your deeds - you yourself have a lot of evil. How dare you attack another? Let God, who created everything, judge everything Himself, and you humble yourself. 2. Don't judge if you don't want to be judged. If you were very perfect, do not judge another in any way. If you condemn, you will be guilty of the same judgment as the one who sinned. If you yourself are chaste, but condemn the unchaste, then you are equal to the one who commits fornication. If you have not sinned in anything small, but hatefully condemn someone else who sins, then you are doing the same evil that the sinner does, and you are even more sinful than that, because you are delighting in something other than your own work—the judgment of God. 3. Do not look at the sins of others, but consider your own evil, for you will not be tested for the sins of others, but “you will give back your word” - you will be responsible for your sins. There is no need for you to test others: how does someone live? How does he sin? But pay attention to yourself: do you please God? are you doing what pleases God? Do you imitate the lives of the saints? will you follow in their footsteps? Is your work pleasing to God? A person who condemns others is an “evil” mirror that reflects everyone in itself, but does not see itself; or - he who condemns others is like a “foul” bathhouse that washes everyone, but itself is a dirty swamp. This is how the one who judges everyone looks at everyone: how does anyone eat? How does he drink? How does he sin? He sees everything, but does not see himself. He considers it a great thing if someone sins in a small way, but he himself considers his great sins to be nothing. He wants no one to know his sins, no one to know, so that he is not despised and kept silent, but he himself clearly slanders, condemns and slanders everyone! This is nothing! 4. Do not judge or be surprised at human sin, but rather marvel at the one who can escape the enemy’s snares of the present time, marvel at the one who can keep himself pure before God when Satan walks “like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8): he tries, cares about human destruction - he wants no one to be free from his snares. So, remember your sins, because even if you don’t want to, you sin a lot and what you hate, you do kindly: willy-nilly you are captive to sin, willy-nilly you fall into crime. 5. And who is free from sin? Who will be found innocent of anything? Who is not involved in sin - “even if there is only one day of his life” (the hymns of the Colored Triodion)? We were conceived in iniquities, and our mother gave birth to us in sins (Ps. 50:7). If not in this, then in another, if not in the great, then in the small, but we all sin, all are criminals, all are sinners, all are weak, all are prone to every sin, we all demand the mercy of God, we all demand His love for mankind: “no one living will be justified before the Lord,” says the prophet (Ps. 143:2). 6. Therefore, do not condemn the sinner, do not admire the judgment of God, do not be an opponent of Christ in what He provided to Himself. If you see with your own eyes someone who is clearly sinning, do not reproach him, do not pronounce judgment on him out of your pride, lest you yourself be subjected to the same thing, for he who condemns someone else for anything will certainly be subjected to the same thing himself. But mercifully cover his sin and treat his crime with humanity. If you can, fix it; if you cannot, then, condemning yourself, remain silent about it. Your own evil is enough for you; do not observe the sins of others. 7. “Why do you see the knot in your brother’s eye, but don’t sense the log in your own?” - said the Lord. (Matthew 7:3). You see other people's sins, but don't pay attention to your own. Do not condemn anyone - so that you yourself will not be condemned, like the Pharisee. Do not say as the blind Pharisee said: “God, I thank You, for I am not like other men: predators, unrighteous people, adulterers, or like this tax collector” (Luke 18:11). Therefore, the one condemned by him is acquitted, and he, who proudly judged him, is condemned. Do not think that everyone is sinful and you alone are righteous, everyone is evil, and you alone are good. Do not judge others, but yourself; Do not reproach others, but consider yourself the worst of all, for we know no one as well as ourselves, and you cannot know anyone’s sins as well as your own shortcomings. 8. If you see the most evil person, do not condemn and do not say that the sinner is worthy of torment, but leave everything unknown to man to God. He knows this as the One who created everything; He will arrange everything as He knows, for He is God omnipotent. Remember the angel who brought the soul to the elder and asked where he would order it to be placed, for he mentally condemned it, as it is said in the Fatherland. 9 . Do not be jealous or envy the sinner, and do not take comfort in anyone’s sin, but, on the contrary, be merciful and compassionate towards the sinner. If you can, help him rise from sin - give him a helping hand; if you can’t, at least pray for him. For he who sins has not received great things, and the transgressor has not acquired great things; he has not made any gain, but deprivation; not consolation and joy, but sorrow and sorrow. He who has tasted sin must certainly taste sorrow. If not here, then there - it cannot be otherwise. 10. Do not rejoice at the fall of your neighbor, but, on the contrary, cry and weep, considering his fall as your own, because we are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves. “If your enemy falls, do not rejoice over him, nor over his temptation... be exalted,” says Solomon (Prov. 24:17). Do not be comforted by the sin of another - lest demons and people rejoice over yours, for joy over sin is not great, but, on the contrary, there is sadness and fear for oneself. Only demons rejoice over the destruction of sinners, for they themselves are completely lost. A person should rejoice in human salvation - so that he himself will receive salvation and find mercy from God now and on the day of judgment, amen. About keeping yourself from laughter, idle talk and blasphemy 1. Beware of laughter, idle talk and blasphemy, lest you waste what you have collected with crying. Disorderly laughter wastes the good collected in the soul, removes one from the grace of the Lord, kills mortal memory, and produces oblivion of the Last Judgment. Laughter is a childish quality, a sign of a voluptuous heart, a weak and unmanly soul: laughter in any case is indecent. 2. Beware of laughter, so that it does not serve to the detriment of crying, which teaches you good, so that your soul does not become empty of all virtue, so that no destructive contempt overtakes you, so that you do not fall into the snare of the devil. Crying is incomparably better than laughter, for Christ does not please those who laugh, but those who weep: “Blessed,” he says, “are not those who laugh, but those who weep, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). And again: “Woe to those who laugh, for they will weep” (Luke 6:25). The producers of laughter in the next century will be ashamed and - during the joy they will weep and weep. 3. What do you, man, have in this world that is worthy of laughter, joy and gladness? What do you have that you could “know” to console yourself with? Your life is full of sorrow, sadness and sighing, and you spend your time in laughter and blasphemy! Your life is full of crying and sobbing, but you are having fun and prosper! This is a matter of your unreason: you don’t know how to console yourself. You don’t know what will benefit you and what is worthy of acquiring for eternal salvation. Do not take comfort in this, but in the Lord, in whom is your eternal consolation. 4. Beware of laughter, idle talk and blasphemy - so that you will not be deprived of the grace of God and may not make your soul empty, for laughter and blasphemies drive away the grace of the Lord, cool the heart, burden the soul, darken the conscience, sadden angels, cheer demons - the cause of all insolence, producers of sin, leaders of fornication and leaders of all uncleanness. 5. Apart from necessity, never want to say or announce anything. For this usually gives birth to a lot of evil. The passion for saying too much is more harmful than all passions, imperceptibly and conveniently. Often, starting with Divine words, we move on to foul language, oaths and everything evil. So, beware of being your own accuser and enemy: “death and life are in the hand of the tongue,” says Solomon, “those who hold it back will eat up its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21). 6. Silence is the beginning of the purification of the soul and without difficulty teaches the wishing one all the commandments. Ap. James says: “The tongue... is uncontrollably evil, full of deadly poison. With this we bless God and the Father, and with this curse men... If anyone sins not in word, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body” (James 3:2, 8-9). Conversations require great concern: in what spirit and direction should you speak, at what time, and what exactly, and for what purpose... He who loves to talk must remember all this, but the silent one has already accomplished and fulfilled all this. 7. Beware of vanity, laughter and blasphemy, even down to the smallest idle word, for on the day of judgment you will give an answer for the most idle word, as the Lord said (Matthew 12:36). That is why David, praying to God about this, said: “Set, O Lord, a guard over my lips, and a door of protection over my lips. Do not turn my heart into words of wickedness, and do not bear the guilt of sins” (Ps. 141:3-4). And again: “Rech, I will keep my ways, lest I sin with my tongue. I kept with my mouth, so that the sinner never stood before me, I became dumb and humbled and kept silent” (Ps. 39:2-3). 8. On what basis will you be consoled by laughter and blasphemy, which are not useful to you? You have not yet experienced all the troubles of this world and you already put your consolation in laughter and blasphemy! You have not yet freed yourself from crying, but you are already consoled by laughter and idle talk! In this world you have nothing worthy of joy - and you indulge in laughter?! I don’t understand your thoughts: don’t you know that everything in this world is worthy of crying, not laughter, worthy of weeping, not joy? For you are in a deplorable vale, and not in a land of consolation, in exile, and not in the fatherland, and therefore you must grieve, and not rejoice, cry and weep, and not laugh and blaspheme. 9 . He who has lost even a small thing is embarrassed and greatly grieves, but you, having lost your eternal fatherland, laugh and have fun, do not grieve about it at all and do not look for it?! Being in this exile, are you chilling like you are in your eternal fatherland?! Where you need to cry and sob, there you laugh and have fun?! Where you need to care and try to free yourself from your slavery, there you indulge in carelessness and rest?! Captivated in a foreign country, from one land to another, and being in temporary enslavement, he grieves and is very embarrassed, and you, expelled from paradise into this world, doomed to death instead of life, deprived of freedom and reduced to slavery, being in constant work, in a distant country, in a deplorable situation, you do not feel any of this: you do not grieve for your peaceful, beloved, free, eternal fatherland, you do not feel and do not care about your redemption and liberation?! This is a sure sign of your foolishness and blindness. 10. So, guard yourself from laughter so that eternal crying does not overtake you. Beware of idle talk and blasphemy, so as not to bitterly repent later when, at the end of your soul, you see its poverty, when you cannot help yourself in any way. Oh, if only you knew! Oh, if I could see what will happen after this! I would never want to be careless, I would never waste my time in laughter and blasphemy. Some once laughed, but now they cry; they rejoiced, but now they are weeping and will never stop weeping... Especially beware of laughter after you are full of food and drink, for then it usually attacks with force. If you ever happen to sin in this, never leave this sin without great repentance. That in this deplorable vale one must always repent and cry about one’s sins 1. Repent, man, of your sins every day and cry about them day and night. Repent without neglecting even the slightest sin, for if you do not pay attention to small sins, you will then neglect the great ones. Repent of the smallest and, apparently, insignificant sins, for if you destroy only one small commandment, then it will be difficult for you to refrain from destroying other great ones, as someone said about this: “Do not say: this is nothing, and that is nothing; but beware of even an idle word, even the subtlest evil thought, for even about an idle word you will have to give an answer on the day of judgment, as the Lord Himself said. Repent every day and at every time, because if you continually sin before God, every day you are transgressing before Him. Throughout your life, repent, cry and sob. For in this age you will not find anything worthy of joy and joy - you will not find anything worthy of good thoughts and prosperity, except for crying and sobbing: your very birth in the world is lamentable, and your life passes in sighs, and the end of your life is death, sorrow and sorrow of the soul. 2. This world with its customs is nothing more than a sinful vale and a deplorable wilderness. There is nothing good in it, nothing praiseworthy, nothing joyful - sin and crime, sorrow and sadness, crying and sighing reign everywhere: “every head is in pain and every heart is in sorrow. From the feet even to the head there is no integrity in us..., there is no plaster to apply, lower than the oil,” says the prophet (Is. 1:5-6). Therefore, “pour tears in a stream day and night, do not give yourself rest, do not lower the apples of your eyes,” says the prophet (Pl. 2:18). 3. So, weep, even sob, because besides weeping, you have nothing better known in the world, and you will not find anything more useful than weeping. Isn't your life worthy of crying? Is your presence in the world not worthy of weeping? For every day you commit lawlessness: snares are everywhere, snares are everywhere - and who among us is not involved in sin? Who is not to blame? Who is pure before God even if he lives for one day? Haven't we all become blackened? How did they become hell - like the Hagarites? Are we not filled with all filthiness and wickedness? There are many sins, the flesh is weak, the passions are countless, the warriors are strong, death is unknown, before your eyes there is a coffin, after death there is judgment, according to judgment there is an unknown fate! 4. All the saints cried and sobbed throughout their lives: “there were tears for them - bread day and night, and weeping dissolved their drink,” as the prophet says (Ps. 42:4, 101:10). The prophets wept, the apostles wept, the saints, the martyrs, the sufferers, the monks, the desert dwellers wept, even Christ Himself shed tears, not needing this, but mourning our damnation: “I saw the city of Jerusalem, and wept over it, saying: Oh, if only you had understood in this day, to your humility, but now you have hidden yourself from your sight.” (Luke 19:41–42). No one on earth saw the Lord laughing, but they saw him crying, therefore you too cry and weep in this vale. 5. Cry because you were born into the world in sins, and constantly - every day - you sin many times before the Lord. Weep because you have many warriors and adversaries, immaterial, invisible, never-ending persecutors, who have fire in their hands to burn the Church of God, as someone put it. Cry, remembering death, for you have to die, turn into aphids and ashes. Cry, because you have to go through the terrible ordeals of air spirits and be tortured - to the point of an idle word, even to the most subtle evil thought. 6. Who, being in debt, does not sigh bitterly? Who doesn't cry while sitting in prison? Who doesn't cry waiting to die? You, who are in the same circumstances, how can you not cry, and even sob, in this deplorable vale? You are in “darkness and the shadow of death” (Ps. 87:7); you are burdened with various debts; you are burdened with countless sins and iniquities; you expect nothing else but death, just the departure from here... How can you ever be carefree and fearless in your life? How will you not always cry and sob at the sight of such troubles ahead of you? For this reason, “let our eyes dry up with tears, and let our eyelids pour out waters: before the voice of weeping was heard from Zion,” says the prophet (Jer. 9:18-19). 7. It was Adam who first gave you this pitiful life. Immediately after being expelled from paradise, he sat down facing the east and did not laugh, but wept bitterly - he exercised himself in nothing else but sobbing. He always had the following lamentable song in his mouth: “Woe is me! Alas, my life has fallen: what have I lost? What benefits have you lost? Instead of paradise, I inherited this corruptible world! Instead of God and His angels, I received His presence with demons! Instead of peace - work; instead of life - death; Instead of joy and joy - crying and sobbing! 8. The prophet Jeremiah depicts a similar kind of weeping when he says: “Who will give my head water and a source of tears for my eyes, so that I weep day and night... of these people?” ( Jer. 9:1 ) “The way,” he says, “Zion weeps, for there are none to walk in them: my eyes are desolate with tears, my heart is troubled, my glory is scattered on the earth, the joy of our hearts is scattered on the earth: the chosen ones have been silenced from their songs, our faces are turned to weeping” (Pl. 1:4, 2:11, 5:14–15) Having such and such reasons before your eyes, how not to cry and weep in this life? Wherever you turn your eyes, you will see nothing else but weeping. Wherever you bow your ears, you will hear only sobbing: everywhere are troubles, everywhere are cries and groans. “Troubles in the city, troubles in the desert, troubles in the rivers, troubles in the sea, troubles come from the robber, troubles from false brothers,” says the apostle (2 Cor. 11:26). That is, there is weeping and mourning everywhere. 9 . “Weep and howl, for the wrath of the wrath of the Lord is turned away,” says the prophet (Jer. 4:8). How will you not cry throughout your life? How can you not cry when you see such troubles and inconveniences, sorrows and sorrows? Everywhere there are enemies, everywhere there are slanderers, everywhere there is fear and fear, everywhere there is awe and bewilderment. Death will come, separation will come, and terrible torture in the air from evil spirits, and receiving an unexpected fate. Nobody knows what they will get there. Who knows about this? The soul will go where it has never been; she will see something there that she has never seen before; will hear something she has never heard before. 10. So, not only cry, but also weep. Do not consider anything in this century higher than crying and warm tears. For crying washes the soul, whitens “all darkness,” cleanses the conscience, enlightens the mind, breaks the bonds of sin, and “blocks” the handwriting of all iniquities. So, cry and shed warm tears in order to be washed from many iniquities, cleansed from all sin, get rid of spiritual blindness, see brighter with intelligent eyes, drown the mental persecutor - Pharaoh - in the tearful sea, extinguish the fire of Gehenna, receive eternal freedom - be honored with everlasting life in Christ Jesus - our Lord, to Whom be glory, honor and may the power be with the Father and His Holy Spirit forever and ever. About always remembering death and not being seduced by the corruptible things of this world 1. Always remember, man, about death and the change of all things - and you will never become madly attached to the present: “Remember your last, and you will never sin,” says Sirach (Sir.7:39). Remember that after death another age will come, another stay, and be prepared. If you are ready to die, you will zealously hasten “with virtuous correction.” 2. Remember the terrible and trembling appearance “at the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Cor. 5:10), where the king and the prince, the warrior and the citizen, the rich and the poor - will be tortured all the same and impartially, everyone will be in fear and trembling, everyone will give an answer even for an idle word, even for the smallest bad thought. “Every thought of man will be confessed to you,” says the prophet (Ps. 75:11). Nothing will be left there without torture and punishment. “Nothing foul or unclean will enter the kingdom of heaven,” says the Lord (Rev. 21:27). 3. Before visible death, die invisibly to sin: mortify carnal lusts with your mind - so that you may live in spirit for the Lord; tear your heart away from earthly attachments - so that you will be a container for the Holy Spirit, so that you can be confident in your salvation and at the time of the exodus you can say with boldness: “My heart is ready, I will sing and sing in my glory” (Ps. 56:8). Having been born from corruption and sin, you will not be freed from corruption and sin and will not pass on to eternal life except by death and separation. 4. So, before the general resurrection, try - through sinlessness and dispassion - to resurrect your soul, which died in sin and passions, in order to be always alive for the Lord. Thus, having been resurrected in spirit, you will no longer be afraid of temporary death in the flesh, but, on the contrary, you yourself will desire it, in order to always be with the Lord; during the general rising from the dead, you will shine like a luminous ray - with the power within you of existing grace and without the acceptance of incorruptible flesh. 5. Do not be carried away by carnal lust and temporary beauty. Remember that all this is dust and ashes. Remember that every carnal lust gives birth to hardship, every carnal pleasure brings sorrow. Remember that we all die, we all fade like a flower and pass by like a shadow: neither the king, nor the prince, nor the rich, nor the poor, nor the warrior, nor the citizen - no one will receive mercy, but we will all be reaped with the sickle of death. 6. Do not think that death is far away, that you will not die soon and not now, but think that it is already near you: the mortal ax lies at the root of your life, the judgment seat is at the door, the coffin is before your eyes, the land is ready for you to go to. Do not think that others only die, but you will not die. “Who... will live and not see death?” - says the prophet (Ps.89:49). The prophets died, the patriarchs, the apostles, the saints died, the martyrs died, the saints died - all the saints died. Great princes, nobles, kings died - and everyone who lived from the ages died... Are you the only one who will remain like this - will you not die? Don’t be mad and blind: what you see on others will certainly happen to you. 7. Every day, every hour, be prepared for death, always have death in your memory, never be careless: “Do not forget at that hour, the Son of man will come,” said the Lord (Matthew 24:44). Death is like a tatu (thief and predator). When you don’t expect it, then it will especially come to you: for then especially it usually creeps up. Just as it was said to someone who wanted to create a large granary: “foolishly, in this night they will take your soul from you, as you have prepared for whomever it will be” (Luke 12:20), so everyone “gather for yourself, and not be rich toward God” (Luke 12:21) can hear the same thing. 8. Death for the good is not evil, but liberation from passions and unhindered union with the spirit and cohabitation with the Lord. Living in the flesh and enduring the struggle of passions is very difficult for the soul. Don’t be afraid of death, just be prepared for it “without sin.” If you are ready for death, then you will not be afraid of death. If you love the Lord with all your heart, then you yourself will desire her. Do not be afraid of death in the flesh; just take care of yourself in every possible way from sin and separation from God. I don’t find any other greater torment than passionate sinful connection and alienation from God; I don’t find any other better kingdom of heaven than liberation from passions and union with the Lord - love. The one who said: “bring my soul out of the prison of flesh and passions - to confess to Your name” (Ps. 142:8) was not afraid of this death. For the flesh and the “rape” of the passions are no small amount of darkness and obscurity. What is death? Complete alienation from God. What is life? Perfect union with God. 9 . Where are the glorious ones now? Where are the rich? Where are those who enjoyed food and drink? Where are those who adorned their faces with beauty and splendor? Where are those who fulfilled their lusts and desires? Didn't they all die? Didn't the earth cover everyone? And their memory disappeared with a noise. There is nothing in the world worthy of love except God. If you love fame? She disappears. If you love wealth? It dies. If you love sweets and carnal beauty? They turn into stench and pus. None of this will help us after death: each of us will either be glorified or disgraced by our deeds - condemned. 10. Look that there is vanity everywhere, emptiness everywhere. There is no lasting pleasure and peace anywhere in the world except the Lord God Himself. For this world is perverse and changeable: its joy is dissolved in sorrow, its joy is dissolved in sorrow; his glory is changeable, his wealth is fragile, his beauty turns into dust and ashes, carnal pleasure into stench and pus, and then all this is stopped and ends in sudden death. Nothing is reliable, nothing is eternal, only the Lord God and His most holy grace. That there is no peace in any thing in this world, but in the Lord God alone there is eternal peace. 1. Do not look for peace and consolation in this temporary world, for you will never find them. Even if you use all the art, you will not enjoy the silence and lasting consolation in this age, because its corruptible and temporary dispensation cannot give the soul peace and rest, unless the Lord Himself - by His grace - rests it and does not give it peace, as He Himself said: “My peace I give to you; My peace I leave with you” (John 14:27). Have peace and rest in Me, and not in anything else. 2. Think, where and in what will you find peace and quiet? Where can you find peace and lasting consolation? Is it in the glory of this world? Is it temporary wealth? Is it food and drink? Is it in the pleasures and lusts of the flesh? Is it in sleep and laziness? Is it beauty and carnal love? Or something else? But from all this there is no peace and tranquility anywhere, but only incessant languor and confusion of the soul. 3. But think more carefully: is there peace and quiet in the glory and honor of this world? Truly there is no peace and quiet here, for the glory of this world quickly changes and is often mixed with dishonor and slander: now people honor a lot, but in the morning they dishonor, today they say good things, and tomorrow they say bad things; some glorify and honor, while others defame and revile; Now someone was glorified and revered, and the next day he was suddenly dishonored. The glory of this world never remains equal in all respects, does not stand in the same form, but always and incessantly changes, like the moon. 4. Is there no peace and quiet in wealth and possessions? No, for wealth soon disappears and perishes: it is usually accompanied by great care and anxiety and never gives a person peace and quiet. The more wealth, the more worries and anxiety. If someone collected the wealth of the whole world, he would not get rid of worries and desires: he would not be satisfied with this, but would desire more. Such a person does not trust himself, he is always in apprehension and fear, lest he become poor from something. He is always tormented by the envy of others, by the dislike of everyone towards him - and his soul, neither day nor night, is at peace. 5. Is there no peace in food, drink and carnal pleasures? And there is no peace here. What peace is there for someone who has eaten too much? One swelling of the abdomen, heaviness of the stomach (syrischa), sometimes regurgitation, “crackling” in the throat, “dissolving” of the womb: what pleased me, also made me sad. Likewise, for someone who gets drunk, there is a headache, shaking of hands, clouding of the mind, a change in gaze, petrification in prayer, deprivation of the Lord’s grace, and then grief, and fierce sadness, and illness; and the very preparation and consumption of food and drink are usually associated with great rumors and care. 6. Is there peace and quiet in sleep and laziness? And here there is no desired peace and silence, but relaxation, insensibility, despondency, darkness, darkness, heaviness, hopelessness, emptiness: “I fell asleep,” it is said, “with my sleep, and found nothing” (Ps. 75:6). And even the longest, carnal rest brings heaviness, ill health and relaxation. And in general, there is no desired peace in sleep, but gloomy night dreams - false, charming, demonic dreams, and nothing more. 7. Is there peace in carnal love - in voluptuous, wordless lust? There is no peace in this either. For carnal love is not true love, but false, hypocritical, seductive, bewildered, unfaithful, lasting only as long as everything in it is done according to desire and passion. The more you love someone carnally, the more you will be wordlessly enslaved to him, the more your loved one is cunning, cunning, corrupted, corrupted, behaves one way before your eyes, but differently behind your eyes - he is proud, narcissistic. So, in carnal love you will never find true silence and perfect peace, but you will find only vanity and confusion, insane self-binding, and seduction, and alienation from God. 8. So, “every man is troubled in vain, every earth-born is troubled in vain; for as man walks, he is troubled in vain,” says the prophet (Ps. 39:6-7). Truly, every living person worries in vain, seeking peace for himself in earthly and perishable things, for he will never find it. That is why the Lord, having mercy and sparing His creation, provided us with the best - he deliberately shortened this life of ours, so that we would not work hard in vain and would not care senselessly about fleeting things, just as the Lord Himself said to the many-caring Martha: “Martha, Martha, worrying and speaking about the multitude, there is only one thing that is needed: Mary, who is a little caring, has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.” her" forever (Luke 10:41–42). With these words, the Lord shows that man fusses in vain - he hoards treasures, for God knows who he collects. So, in this world there is no true peace and quiet in any thing, but there is only one constant confusion and great languor of the soul. 9 . Peace, silence and eternal rest in God alone and in the grace of the Holy Spirit. There is joy, there is joy, there is sadness, immortality, fearlessness. There is undisturbed peace, everlasting peace, endless joy, eternal pleasure that always delights a person. Only truly love the Lord with all your heart, and having tasted it, you will know through experience that the Lord is good, then you yourself will strongly desire separation from the body and constant abiding with the Lord. For He is generous and merciful, the gracious Father of generosity and the God of all joy. He is eternal peace. Only He Himself will rest and console our soul and say to it: “Come, all my good neighbor, and there is no vice in you. Come from Lebanon, bride, come from Lebanon. Make us diligent, our sister, the Bride,” as Solomon says (Song.4:7-9) - and thus make her the heir of all His blessings. 10. Therefore, love the One God with all your heart - so that you will find eternal peace and quiet refuge for your soul and be rewarded with everlasting pleasure. For God’s love is ever-present (eternal), His desire is inscrutable and His consolation is endless - always joyful to the human soul. The love of God is insatiable and surpasses in darkness all carnal love, every earthly desire. God's desire is limitless and makes the whole soul bright, seeing, enlightened, joyful, cheerful, dispassionate, carefree, non-slothful, vigilant, indestructible, not bored, not hungry, not thirsty, but always filled and satisfied with all good things. Having thus arranged the souls of those who loved Him with all their hearts, the Lord will wipe away every tear from their eyes and take away from them every sigh. Oh, Divine love! O Divine Desire! Oh, Divine sweetness and consolation! Blessed is he who accepts this in Christ Jesus our Lord! This book was first published (anonymously, according to historians) presumably at the beginning of the 18th century, with the title “The Spiritual Alphabet” and was subsequently reprinted many more times. This title comes from short teachings on each letter of the alphabet at the beginning of the book, which precede the main text. And this name has stuck to this day. However, it was originally called differently. The first title of this book has been preserved: “The spiritual ladder according to the God of monastic life, containing in itself thirty and three chapters in the image of the Lord in the flesh on the earth of life, there are thirty and three degrees, laboriously compiled for the benefit of the spiritually zealous and attentive to the monastic life, written by the Venerable Isaiah of Kopinsky, who lived in postnicity and silence, walking the path near the cave of our venerable father Anthony, also in Kyiv, after the former metropolitan of the same God-saved city of Kyiv.” Then, as historians suggest, the manuscript of St. Isaiah (Kopinsky), by mistake of the publishers, ended up in the collected works of St. Demetrius of Rostov; this happened because it was among the saint’s manuscripts, but with a note indicating that it belonged to Isaiah (Kopinsky). This error has not been corrected to this day: “The Spiritual Alphabet” continues to be published under the name of Demetrius of Rostov. It is necessary to pay tribute to Metropolitan Isaiah (Kopinsky) and restore justice by recalling this again. “Works that did not belong to him were attributed to Dmitry of Rostov. In particular, in the Life of the saint it is stated that he wrote the “Spiritual Alphabet”, but the author of this work was Metropolitan. Isaiah (Kopinsky),” notes D. Shlyapkin in the list of individual works incorrectly attributed to Demetrius of Rostov. It is known that after the death of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the “Spiritual Ladder” - the book in the hands of which the holy elder began and ended his ascetic life - was found in his personal belongings. These things were distributed as a blessing, and the book went to N.A. Motovilov, as he testifies in his “Notes.” It is possible that young Daniel Tuptalo, the future Saint Demetrius of Rostov, learned spiritual laws from this manuscript. In the second chapter of “The Spiritual Ladder,” the author refers those who want to more conveniently come to the knowledge of nature, themselves and God to a book called “The Weekly Diary,” which, unfortunately, has not survived. Thus, indirectly, we learn about another work of Saint Isaiah. It can be argued that Saint Isaiah (Kopinsky) was one of the few followers of the hesychast tradition in southwestern Rus' in the 17th century. Since at this time “in spiritual life, the break with Byzantium causes a weakening of the patristic tradition, “internal work” is forgotten in asceticism, the feat takes on a more severe and external character, and the general spiritual level of monasticism decreases significantly,” writes I. Kontsevich. M. Grushevsky characterizes Isaiah (Kopinsky) as “a meaningful, interesting person - a person who clearly reflected the ideological current, although outdated and condemned to oblivion, but still alive and popular among the broad masses” of that time. This movement, as defined by J. Stratius, is “Athos mysticism, the concept of the Gospel life in truth,” which was the path to deification. In this work, the bishop sets out his understanding of the ways of “knowledge of the world, man and God.” This knowledge is accomplished, according to the author, “through self-deepening, internal self-contemplation. The concept of self-knowledge goes into the theory of smart doing, which provides for self-improvement, purification, enlightenment of the mind and ascetic self-contemplation up to the acquisition of the Grace of God, to knowledge and mystical union with God (hesychia).” Therefore, we can say with confidence that “The Spiritual Ladder” is a strictly ascetic, monastic work, and is a true storehouse of spiritual wisdom and ascetic experience. It is not known what kind of spiritual literature Saint Isaiah was familiar with; not much was available at that time (the Bible was a rarity then), but what he wrote is completely consistent with the spirit of the patristic works of the first centuries of monasticism. From the first lines of his little book, as the Bishop calls it, he calls on the reader to rejoice only in the one Lord. “If you want to rejoice, rejoice in nothing else, only in the Lord alone, for all joy that is not in the Lord is a lie and deception.” You might be interested in: