# Coptic homilies in the dialect of Upper Egypt/Sermon 1
### THE DISCOURSE WHICH APA JOHN, THE ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PRONOUNCED CONCERNING REPENTANCE AND CONTINENCE.

If the blessed man Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, who became the Doctor of the Church, who fought in pain and anguish to make himself to be like unto the incorporeal powers in his daily life, who completed his course [and] kept the Faith, [ 2 Tim. iv. 6 ff. ] who kept his light shining in fastings, and in hunger, and in thirst, [ 2 Cor. xi. 25-27. ] and amid dangers, who travelled with patient endurance the road from Jerusalem to Illyricum [ Rom. xv. 19. ] preaching the Gospel, this angel who belonged to the earth, this man who belonged to the heavens, who possessed Christ Who spoke in him, the habitation of the Holy Spirit, who was caught up to the third heaven [and] heard the words of mystery, [ 2 Cor. xii. 2-4. ] who was carried away into the Paradise, who was by reason of his love and zeal well close the equal of Christ, who bore the care of the Churches, the orator of piety, the sponsor of those who believed on Christ, the herald and teacher of the Gentiles, who has taught unto us the way whereby to enter into heaven, [if this man, I say] said, ' I subdue my body, and I make it to be a servant, lest having preached unto others I myself will become a castaway ' [ 1 Cor. ix. 27. ]; and, moreover, if this holy man, who possessed in his own person so great a multitude of spiritual excellences, and who spoke out boldly, saying, 'I know not how to do anything of myself,' [ 1 Cor. iv. 4. ] was afraid, and spoke in this manner, what will we ourselves do, who are miserable creatures, and who are wholly unable to cultivate successfully one spiritual excellence?
Is it not then seemly for us to keep watch and to pray at all times, and to make petitions to God neither for gold nor silver, nor for any of the riches of this world, but only for the riches which are in the heavens; and to have gladness in God? Now, there are certain folk who rejoice in [their] wealth; and some rejoice in wine-drinkings in taverns, and in eating at feasts, whilst others rejoice in the beauty and glory of [this] world. As for the virgin, [ The virgin here is the monk, but the suffixes are feminine. ] let him rejoice in God, and let him seek after the honour which comes from His hands, saying, ' My justification is before You.' [ Ps. xxii. 1 ] There is nothing which is so poverty-stricken or so contemptible as the soul which is filled with passion.
For this reason it is seemly for us to take strict care of our souls at all times, and we must say even as did the holy man David, ' God gives strength to my beauty.' [ Ps. xxviii. 5 ] so that when the Bridegroom looks upon the beauty of the soul He will say, ' You are wholly beautiful, my love, and there is no blemish in you.' [ Song iv. 7. ] But even if it be that your spiritual excellence flourisheth, take good heed that your heart be not over- exalted because of your beauty, lest God turn His face away from you because of your exaltation of heart (or, pride). For who is there who could make himself worthy of the things which [Christ] endured then patiently on your behalf? He humbled Himself for you, and He gave His holy blood to be the price for you. He Who gave food unto all flesh fasted in the flesh for your sake. He Who created the sweetness in the honey tasted that which was bitter (gall) for your sake. He Who ornamented the heavens with the companies of the stars wore a crown of thorns for your sake; and He became obedient even unto death, [ Phil. ii. 8. ] the death of the Cross. It is not, then, seemly for us to show ourselves glad because of these things, nay, we must make ourselves to lament, and we must weep. Let us hearken unto that which [the Book] says, ' [Be] sorrowful in heart upon your beds because of the things which ye J have said in your hearts [during the day], [ Ps. iv. 4. ] so that we may have in remembrance in the night season the things which we have done during the day, and that we may heave sighs concerning them. This is what Ahab did when he was in sorrow: he fasted and he girded sackcloth about his body. And what did God say concerning him? 'I will not bring the evils upon him in his days.' [ 1 Kings xxi. 27-29. ] It was for this same reason that the Saviour proclaimed to be blessed those who weep, [ Matt. v. 1; Luke vi. 21. ] not those who weep for the dead, or the loss of property, but those who weep for their sins.
You yourself will say even as did David, ' Night after night I wash my bed, and I soak my cushion [s] with my tears.' [ Ps. vi. 6. ] And again he says, ' Mine eyes pour out streams of water because men keep not your Law.' [ Ps. cxix. 136. ] Wash you away the defilement by means of tears, smite upon your breast, and take to yourself the remembrance of the sins which you have committed. [If] you have been snared at [any] time through your eye, if you have opened your window at [any] time wickedly, you have done injury to your soul through your eye. The eyes which look with wicked intent heal you now with tears, and shut you your window that you might not see again the things of vanity, for otherwise you will fall into an evil habit.
Now habit is wont to draw him that clings thereto into great sins. [When] you have arrayed yourself in splendid apparel take good heed unto yourself not to sit down in any [dirty] place, lest it become spotted. If you will hold to be a light matter the first stain, and the second, and the third, at length your whole garment will become dirty. You will not be careless [and] sit down in any polluted place whatsoever.
What are we to do then? [You have] need of fervent prayer, lest you strike a stone with your feet. And [you will pray fervently] that the Angel of God will compass you round about, and will deliver you. And you yourself will be strong and will say, 'The Angel who delivered me out of all evil.' [ Gen xlviii. 16. ] And [you will pray fervently] that the Angel may cry out unto you from heaven, even as [he cried] to Abraham, for the Angels love those who love their own God.
He (i.e., the Book) says moreover, 'Take a psalm, set ye forth a tabret, a sweet psaltery and a harp '; [ Ps. lxxxi. 2. ] you are to take one thing, and three are demanded from you. For we are composed of three things, even as the Apostle [Paul] spoke, 'He will keep safe him that is in the spirit, and He will make healthy your souls and your bodies.' [ 1 Thess. v. 23. ] Now the psaltery is the spirit, the harp is the soul, and the tabret is the dead skin which covers it. Therefore put you to death the flesh, and thus will you make yourself strong to ascribe blessings to God with the tabret and dance.
For it is God Himself Who has filled you with flesh. Observe, therefore, lest He should say unto you, ' What profit is there in My blood? ' [ Ps. xxx. 9. ] What kind of recompense can you possibly make to Him which will be adequate for all the sufferings which He endured on your behalf?
Be you a tree which bears fruit, and thus will you cause the blessing of God to be upon you. Bring forth fruit according to your strength. If you are not able to bring forth an hundredfold, which is the [number of] perfection, then bring forth sixty fold, which is the half thereof; and if this be difficult for you, then bring forth thirty fold, which is one third thereof. Only you must labour according to your strength, for if you are without fruit they will cut you down and cast you into the burning.
If you can not be a vessel of gold, or silver, do not become a log of wood, or grass, or straw, which are merely fuel for the burning. You will not perform the works which God hateth, for they will take their stand before you on the Day of Judgement like solid image[s]. And finally you will have to begin to confess them in that place, without witnesses and without an advocate, and without proofs, and you will have to look upon all the deeds which you have committed, and upon all the words which you have uttered unwittingly, and they will stand up like statues before your eyes. Weep before the time, so that you might not hear in that place [the words]. [ i.e., the Other World. ] This is not the time for repentance; for no repentance is possible in this place.'
So long then as we have the time let us do work, for if the time slip through our hands, it is unlikely that we will find another opportunity. Moreover, for this reason the blessed Paul taught us saying, ' So long as we have the time let us do the things which are good.' [ Gal. vi. 10. ] And again [he says], 'Behold, now is the time which is accepted.' [ 2 Cor. vi. 2. ]
Let us then weep over the deeds which we have committed unrighteously, and let us make tears to flow down our cheeks in streams, and let us beat our breasts in sorrow, so that we may do away the weeping, and the gnashing of the teeth in that place whereto we must depart. Moreover, let us weep even as did David in order that we may be proclaimed blessed. He did not shed a few tears only as men do when they weep, but he flooded his bed with his tears; and he passed the whole night in vigil. One night only he sinned, [yet] he wept night after night, and never ceased [from crying], and he freely acknowledged his sins in the following words, and in this manner, saying, ' Forgive me these [offences]. You gave me mine eyes, that I might see Your light with them, but I have seen wickedly with them. Since, therefore, I have gone astray through mine eyes, for this reason do away my sins through [my] tears.'
Let us come forth from our habits which are evil, and remove ourselves into the city which is in the heavens. Let us subdue our body, and let us make it to be a servant (or, slave), lest peradventure we make our soul to be the servant of the Devil. Let the careful consideration of the words of God reduce to peace the delights of the senses which are engrained in our hearts, and which resemble those that are found in wild animals, and let us bear at all times the death of our Lord Jesus Christ in our bodies, and let us keep in remembrance that which He spoke saying, ' Be prudent, be ye vigilant.' [ 1 Pet. v. 8. ]
The man that slumbers will not receive the crown of victory, and the man that is careless and idle will not receive the prize, but the man who has borne innumerable buffetings and wounds is he who will receive honour from the Master of the contest. Now the Enemy is in the habit of taking to flight before him that is prudent (or, cautious), but he plunders him that slumbers. Therefore, |you must know that you have about you enemies which are evil. Give, therefore, no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids, that you may escape like a roe from the snare of the hunter, and like a bird from the net of the fowler. [ Prov. vi. 5. ]
Let us flee at all times from the cares of this world (or, life), and from the burdens thereof. If we would make ourselves to be free from this world, we must not make to ourselves care for the things of the world, for very many have been snared by the guile thereof. For the [Book] says, ' He who is our Adversary, the Devil, goes about roaring, like the lions, and seeking after prey,' [ 1 Pet. v. 8. ] not, however, prey in the literal sense of the word, but to devour that which is in the soul. Flee from the knavery of the Crafty One, and you will say, ' Through You will I be delivered from a company of thieves, and through my God I will leap over a wall.' [ Ps. xviii. 29. ] Seek not to excuse yourself from suffering , lest by so doing you will excuse yourself from the crown also. The merchant loses not courage, but he endures even the waves of the sea, and he finds possessions. He who contends is wont to fight in pain and suffering even unto wounds, for his heart looks for the crown of victory.
The husbandman does not find ears of corn [in his tillage] unless he has first of all sown the seed [thereof] by his own toil. This is what is to be expected from the kingdom which is in the heavens: men must account tribulations as nothing whatsoever, and they must fortify their hearts by means of the hope of the good things which will come.
Let us therefore devote our whole attention to watching at all times, so that when our Bridegroom will return, and look in the bride-chamber, we may hear His voice, and may rise up, and may meet Him being prepared [to receive Him]. For He said, ' Let your loins be girded up, let your lamps be filled and lighted, and do ye even as do those men who are expecting to see their Lord.' [ Luke xii. 35, 36, 45, 46. ] Now behold, the Saviour proclaimed blessed the man who was sober (or, vigilant), saying, 'Blessed is that servant whose master on coming will find him keeping watch.' [ Luke xii. 37. ]
And as He proclaimed blessed those who kept watch, so also did He regard him that was careless as a bad servant, for He spoke saying, ' That wicked servant will say in his heart, " My master tarries." And he will begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat, and to drink, and to become drunken. And the master of that wicked servant will come on a day which he knows not, and in an hour wherein he expects him not. And he will cut him asunder, and will set his portion with [the portions of] the unbelieving ones.' [ Matt. xxiv. 48-51. ] If they will cut asunder him that says, ' My master tarries,' what will they do unto him that does not expect to see him at all? Therefore, O my beloved, what is meet for us to do is this: We must act in such a way that we may find ourselves prepared at any hour, and we must sail a straightforward course, and always in the same direction; for it is unlikely that we will be able to turn back again and cultivate successfully that concerning which we have been careless.
Let us therefore be prepared at any hour, so that we may say with boldness, ' Lord, my heart is ready, my heart is ready.' [ Ps. lvii. 7 and Ps. cviii. 1. ] In this life we are in a mighty war. The workers of evil, who are the demons, stretch their bows. Then one of them shoots an arrow into our ears, so that we may listen to slanderous chattering with pleasure. And another shoots an arrow into our eyes, so that we may turn our gaze in a wrongful manner towards the things which are unseemly. And another shoots an arrow into our tongue, so as to make us to revile scornfully our brother. And another shoots an arrow into our belly, which excites in us the appetite of gluttony. And another shoots an arrow into our hands, which leads us on to deeds of rapine, and greed of the most excessive character. And another shoots an arrow into our feet, which moves us to walk into wickedness.
Because of all these things the blessed man Paul armed us with weapons, for he wrote saying, 'Take unto you the whole armor of God, and the helmet of the Spirit. With these you will be able to quench every fiery dart of the Evil One. [ Eph. vi. 10 ] Let us hearken unto the voice of the prophet, which says, ' He has showed you, O man, what is good; and also that which God seeks after at your hands, to make yourself to perform judgement and righteousness. And you will love mercy, and to prepare to follow closely after the Lord your God.' [ Mic. vi. 8. ]
Therefore let us forget the things which are behind, and reach forth unto those things which are before. [ Phil. iii. 13. ] Let us
delight ourselves in the Lord, and let us feed upon His words. Let us not waste our opportunities in emptiness, but as we have a [good] Lord, let us perform service to Him in truth.
Consider the great love for man which He shows in respect of us! Sometimes He appeals to us, sometimes He threatens us with the punishments, and sometimes He teaches us obedience, and He bestows rewards upon those who hearken unto Him.
Therefore we must gird up the loins of our heart[s] in truth. Let us perform the service of the Good God, our Saviour. Let us keep in remembrance all the things which He suffered for our sake. He was made after the manner of a man for our sake. He was suckled at the breast like a man. He made Himself to be a child in age (or, stature). He received baptism for our sake. He suffered hunger. He slept, He slumbered for our sake. He mourned, they made Him the object of plots of treachery, they scourged Him, they treated Him with contumely, and finally they delivered Him over to death for our sake.
Let us, then, think at all times on all these things which He suffered patiently for the sake of our sins, [and] that [the Book] says, 'You have not yet resisted unto blood, [striving against sin].' [ Heb. xii. 1 ] But you will fight against sin, that is to say, although we are not now asked to give our blood for the sake of Christ, that we should earnestly follow after sinlessness is demanded at our hands. Keep in remembrance, moreover, the healings which our Saviour effected. He healed the sick, He cast out the devils, He made the lame to walk, He made the blind to see, besides all these other healings which we put aside and do not attempt and describe one by one. And, as the fulfillment of all these, He bestowed upon us the gracious gift of the way of entering into heaven, so that we ourselves might follow in His footsteps by means of a life of noble and virtuous deeds, and might make for ourselves our citizenship in the heavens, in a manner suitable for the place wherein our names are inscribed. Now the Scripture has called us ' strangers and sojourners'[ Heb. xi. 13. ]' so that we may think scorn of the things of this place (i. e., world).
The pleasure of this world is like unto a day: if we chase him away, he flees; and if we feed him, he will abide with you. It is for this reason that James said, ' Resist ye the Devil, and he will flee from you.' [ Jas. iv. 7. ] Let us not think in our minds that we will be able to repent in Hades, [ This is a translation of the ancient Egyptian Amend, the ' hidden place ' or ' Other World '. ] for the medicine of repentance has no effect in that place. For although we will gnash with our teeth, and our tongue will be on fire, there will be in that place none who will dip his finger in water for us; on the contrary, we ourselves will hear the words which the rich man heard. Let us know, then, O my beloved, that the works of this changing [world] are nothing but phantasms (or, dreams), and that we live in a house wherein travelers are received, out from which we must go forth in any case. Let us take care concerning the road, and concerning the provisions which we must take with us on the road. Let us array ourselves in the garments which appertain to this life, concerning which Paul counseled us, saying, 'Dress yourselves in the bowels of mercies, and in goodness, and in humility. [ Col. iii. 12. ]
In that place we will have no need of gold, but we will have need of the dropping of water. We will have no need of the leaves of trees and plants, but of the fruit thereof.
We will have no need of words, but of deeds. For He (i. e., Christ) said, ' It is not every one who will say unto Me, Lord, Lord, that will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the Will of My Father which [is] in heaven.' [ Matt. vii. 21. ] Let us therefore by no manner of means deceive ourselves. And if any man will pass the whole of his life in eating at feasts, and in drinking of wine, [that period of time] will be as nothing- compared with the ages which will follow it without end. For in this world both the good things and the evil things which are therein fulfil themselves. In that world, however, the good things endure, and exist for ever and for ever, and the punishments are endless. In this world, if the body burns, the soul comes forth therefrom, and it exists undestroyed. In that world, even though the body rise up, and exist in an undestroyed form, the soul will burn for all time. And if it be necessary that sinners will rise up, and exist in an undestroyed form, this will not happen in order that they may receive glory, but only that they may be punished with the punishments which are deathless. If a man be unable to bear the heat of the bath which has been heated to an unwonted degree, what will he do when he is delivered over to the river of fire which flows before the throne of Christ? It is necessary that every man should make himself to consider the fire which is there.
Let us examine carefully the seal which is on our gold and see that it is intact, lest peradventure some come and plunder our treasure. Now all our works may be able to constrain him that has speech with us [to think us good], but it is impossible that we will be able to deceive the Judge Who is in the Other World. As long then as we have time, come ye, and let us heal the wound in our souls by means of [our] tears.
If the prophet Jeremiah wept over the overthrow of the temple, which had been built throughout with stones of price, saying, ' Leave me alone, let me weep bitterly,' [ Jer. xiii. 17. ] how much more is it right for us to weep over the temple of ourselves, which is exceedingly glorious, and which, though it has not therein the ark of gold, is, nevertheless, the dwelling-place of the Holy Trinity? If we look upon one who is dead, we weep over him according to custom, what man is there who would be altogether so foolish as not to weep for his own soul if it had died in sin? For this reason it is seemly to weep not over the dead body but over the death of your soul.
Remember you, then, that the time has drawn close, and that the Judge stands at the door; the evening approaches, and the day has declined. No man remains asleep when once the night has passed away, and the Sun has risen. Let us rise up out of the slumber of dreams, and let us make (or, bring forth) fruits worthy of repentance, [ Matt. iii. 8. ] even as it is written. Repentance requires not a long time, and very many of the martyrs received the crown for [the repentance] of a short time. And if we have committed the sins which lead unto death, let us not fall into a state of despair, for we have with us the medicines of salvation, that is to say, tears. And moreover, it belongs to the nature of men to go astray in the work, but it is the work of Satan to persist in the going astray. For falling down is not a very evil thing, but the not rising up [again] after the fall is both an evil thing and destruction.
For this reason our God cried out to us through the prophet saying, ' Is there no balsam in Gilead? Or is there no physician in that place? Why then has not the healing of the daughter of my people increased? ' [ Jer. viii. 22. ] If it should happen that any member in our body become diseased, are we not wont to send for the physicians, and to make all the haste possible until we have healed that sick member in our body? When, however, the soul itself is sick we are careless about it, and we take no care whatsoever about the healing thereof. Let us hold in fear Him that has the power to destroy our soul and our body in Gehenna. Come, let us flee into the sea of the mercy of God before the time of the torturing, and let us say with the holy man David, ' You will wash me thoroughly therein, and I will become whiter than the snow.' [ Ps. li. 7. ]
The Good Shepherd stands wishing to snatch away our souls from out of the mouth of the lion before he is able to devour them. He cries out unto us ourselves saying, 'My son, you have sinned; do not [sin] again.' [ Ecclesiasticus xxi. 1 ] And again He says, l Will not he who falls rise up again? Or will not he who has gone astray turn again into the right way? ' [ Jer. viii. 4. ] And again He says, ( Turn yourselves unto Me, My children (or, sons) who have wandered afar off, and I will heal your wounds of contrition.' [ Jer. iii. 22. ] He was no liar who said, "I have not come to judge the world, but in order that the world might have salvation through Me." [ John xii. 47. ]
The one thing for us to do is to repent. For He says, ' I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that he would turn himself from his evil way, and live.' [ Ezek. xviii. 27, 32. ] There is no man among those who love persons, who even if he be consumed with the madness of love for the woman who is his beloved, that can love wholly in the same manner as that in which God loves the soul which repents. For though it has committed fornication very many times, He cries out unto it saying, ' And I spoke unto her after she had committed fornication with all these (i. e., her lovers) saying, Return you unto Me. [ Compare Jer. iii. 6, 7. ]
For the loving-kindness of God towards man is in this wise: He never rejects him that sets forth to come to Him with repentance. And if he has fallen into the ditch, and into evil, yet will He stretch out widely His hands to him saying, ' Turn you to Me, and I will save you.' And again, 'On that day wherein ye will hear His voice, harden ye not your hearts.' [ Ps. xcv. 7, 8. ]
Does there exist a physician who, supposing it to be his wish to make him that is sick to recover a little, would
reproach him? The physician does not treat him with contempt, neither does he award him the just retribution for his disgraceful state, but he administers unto him the medicine with gentleness. How much more then will God, Who is in truth the Good Physician of our souls [act thus towards us]? Above all things let us not despair of our own salvation. For he who contends in the games is wont to fall down often, but in the end he rises up, and receives the crown of victory. So also is it with the soldier. After he has been wounded [the physicians] heal him, and he wages war again, and men consider him to be of greater value than those who have not been wounded at all. Similarly also there are very many merchants who, although their ships have foundered, and they have lost their cargoes, do not despair, but they go back again regularly to the markets, and they amass riches.
For the burning fire of Gehenna has not been prepared solely for us, but it was made ready for the Devil and his angels. Above all things let us not kindle that fire for ourselves, and let us not hear besides the words, ( Get ye into the fire which ye yourselves have kindled. [ Isa. i. 11. ]
There is no sick man living who cannot be healed by the medicine of the Physician of our souls. But perhaps you will say, ' I certainly cannot attain unto perfection.' If you are not able to attain unto perfection, and if you are not able to become like a sun, then make yourself to be like unto a star. In any case transfer yourself from earth to heaven. Make yourself to be like a star which sends forth light. It is very much better that you should do a few works which are good, than that you should do nothing at all. You have been informed concerning the cup of cold water, [ Mark ix. 41. ] and concerning the visiting of those who are sick, and those who are in prison. [ Matt. xxv. 35, 36. ] Moreover, if we will be punished for our words and for our deeds, how much more will He give us wages for our good works, even though they be very few? Therefore let us labour for a little time, so that we may at last live the life which is forever.
If it were possible for us to die many, many times, it would be seemly for us to do so, so that we might see Christ coming in His glory. We will not see Him in a riddle, but we will see Him as He really is, with our own eyes, according to the testimony of the Apostle John, who preached concerning God. If we look upon the beauty of the human body in this place (i. e., world) we are wont to marvel thereat. Now the beauty of human bodies arises from humours and from heat, which after death turn into worms, and ashes, and corruption. How much more, then, will we admire when we look upon that beauty which is incorruptible, and spotless, and pure? Since Peter, when he saw only the very smallest portion of the light of the glory thereof, said, ' It is good for us to remain in this place.' [ Matt. xvii. 4. ] what will happen unto us when we will look upon the fullness of that glory? If we ascribe blessings to those who are close unto a king in this world, when we see him advancing upon a chariot of gold, and wearing the crown and apparel of purple, then how greatly blessed will we be when we are placed on the right hand of the King of All, the Judge of every man.
Now supposing that a kingdom had been promised unto you, and that the road to the country wherein the kingdom was situated was exceedingly difficult, and toilsome, and was a place of desolation and steepness: would you not endure all these things in order to reach that kingdom? You will not say, 'I am already snared in my sins, and I am not able to turn myself to God,' for even if the Devil has first of all cast us down headlong, let us rise up quickly.
For our God is a lover of mankind. Whomsoever will flee unto Him He will receive, even as He did in the case of the young man who had squandered the portion of the riches which had fallen to his share. Let us keep in remembrance the fact that after Solomon became king, and had obtained experience of all the glorious things and delights of life, he said, ' It is vanity, and vanity it is which is in them all.' [ Eccles. i. 2. ] If the governor [of a city] takes the greatest pains in order to be praised by those who are sitting in the theatre, not withstanding the fact that the greater number of those who are sitting in that place are poor men, and men of humble station, and servants, and strangers, how very much more pains ought we to take to cause ourselves to be well spoken of in that theatre of the Other World, wherein are congregated the angels, and the archangels, and all the saints?
Let no whoremonger and tax-gatherer be before us to enter into the Kingdom. There are many medicines and many remedies established for us in Holy Scripture which are different each from the other. Ahab sorrowed [ 1 Kings xxi. 27-29. ] in his heart because of the sin which he had committed, and he escaped from the wrath of God by means of this medicine. And Nebuchadnezzar [escaped] through mercy. [ Dan. iv. 33 ff. ] The inhabitants of Nineveh [ Jon. iii. 1 ff. ] escaped through the medicine of fasting. The harlot reconciled God to her through her tears. [ Luke vii. 30 ff. ] The thief became a citizen of the Paradise through faith.[ Luke xxiii. 42, 43. ]. Therefore will we exalt these salves and these medicines.
Let us heal our souls of the wounds of sin which we our own selves have caused. Let us ourselves say unto the True Physician, 'Heal me, O God, and I will become whole.' [ Jer. xvii. 14. ] and 'Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.' [ Ps. xli. 4. ] and the True Physician will receive us to Himself. And He will say, 'I, even I, am He Who blots out your sin, and I will no more remember it.' [ Isa. xliii. 25. ] You see, then, the vast number of the medicines and salves, each of which is different from the other, which have been transmitted unto us in mercy by the Physician for use on various kinds of sores, and on diverse cuts and bruises. Choose you from among these that which you wish for the healing of your soul.
If now you are not able to perform mercy like Nebuchadnezzar, nor to grieve in your heart over your sins like Ahab, and if you are not able to fast like the inhabitants of Nineveh, and if you can not wash away your sins by means of your tears like the harlot, flee you to the foot of the Merciful, and you yourself will say, with David, ' Have mercy upon me, O God, according to the greatness of Your mercy.' [ Ps. li. 1. ] It is not a viper which has bitten me, or I would have fled to the feet of the man of enchantments, neither am I filthy with the mire, or I would have washed myself clean in water, but it is the Devil who has cast his venom upon me, and I have been penetrated by the mire of iniquity. For this reason I am in need of the greatness of the mercy of your lovingkindness towards man.
You must, in any case, go to Him, and you must make supplication to Him, and He will graciously bestow upon you the mercy of the Father, and the mercy which He spoke saying, ' If the unrighteous man will turn from his evil way, I will no longer keep in remembrance all the iniquities which he has committed.' [ Ezek. xviii. 21, 22. ] Nevertheless, you must certainly show Him your wound, and you will say, ' Have mercy upon me. Have mercy upon my body, and upon my soul. Have mercy upon me in this world, and in that which is to come. Have mercy upon me because of the weakness of nature, and because of the sea of your goodness.' Do you desire earnestly healing, and the Physician will be ready to heal you at the earliest moment with His medicine. For He who seeks after your salvation is He who brought back the sheep which had gone astray. And He it is Who sends forth His servant into the highways to invite both the wicked and the good to the marriage feast.
Behold, He Himself will sell unto you the kingdom which is in the heavens. If you are not able to buy it for copper [money], buy it for yourself with a little piece of bread, for He will sell you the kingdom which is in the heavens for this. Behold, the prophet cried out saying, f Who is the man who is wishing for life, and who would see the days that are good? ' [ Ps. xxxiv. 12. ] that is to say, to receive for yourselves a fine external appearance and the service of servants. Now he who seeks after that which is sold may not have with him the means (or, possessions) to give in exchange for it. If [you have] not [these things], then give the innocence of your soul, give fastings, give tears. If you have nothing else whatsoever to give, then give the cessation of your tongue from that which is evil, and the cessation of your lips from speaking guile. [ Ps. xxxiv. 13. ] This will be the beginning of the salvation of your soul; but take good heed unto yourself.
If you dost fast, guard yourself lest your heart become proud; if you do acts of mercy watch yourself that you do them not for the approbation of men. Nay, more [than this]. If the day of fasting will cause you to be regarded [by men] with close attention, you will consider what it is which you have acquired for yourself through the fasting, lest you find yourself to be on a lower level than before you didst fast. Moreover, observe what kind of sin it is which you have abandoned, or for what purpose you have abandoned it, and what kind of success it is which you have acquired for yourself, or what manner of defect it is which you have corrected through your fasting. See if you have made wrath to cease in you, and if you have driven anger forth from you. See if you have cured yourself of thinking scorn of your brother, and of uttering calumnies concerning him, and of feelings of hatred towards your neighbours. See if you have cured yourself of cursing and swearing, and if you have laid aside words of obscenity, or words of ribaldry, or words of lewdness. See what manner
of good thing it is which you have gotten for yourself. If you have abandoned [the eating of] bread overmuch, and of other kinds of food, but have not abandoned passion, nor have gotten for yourself spiritual excellences, in what way then have you benefited by the fasting? You will not say, 'Who is the man that will hold me up to contempt? I myself will hold him up to contempt. Who is he that will destroy my reputation? I myself will destroy his reputation. Who is he that will do wrong unto me? I myself will wreak my vengeance upon him.' Do not this, but leave the matter to the True Judge Who will reward to each man according to his works.
For all these things will be made manifest, and they will all be put to the proof in that theatre wherein the whole world will be gathered together. In that Other World one man will not be able to give help to another, and no man will be able to deliver himself from the decision of the Judge, wherefrom no escape may be obtained by supplication. In that place of judgement neither Moses, nor Noah, nor Daniel, nor even Abraham himself, the lover of children, will be able to protect one of his children from the punishment.
Let us keep in remembrance the fact that we are guilty of very many sins, both of those which are secret and of those which are manifest. Now, he (i. e., David) says, ' If you will mark carefully every iniquity, who is there that will stand? ' [ Ps. cxxx. 8. ] And why need I speak of the sins which are hidden? If He were to judge us only for those which are manifest, what chance of escape would there be for us? If He were to inquire closely into our conduct, or if He were to investigate our remissnesses in prayer, and our faintheartedness, [what chance of escape would there be for us?] And when we stand in His presence, how do we place ourselves, and on what do we meditate? We do not even pay unto Him the honour which servants pay to their masters, or the respect which soldiers pay to their captains, or the honour which friends pay to their friends.
Now when we talk with our friends we are in the habit of addressing them with the greatest respect and deference, but when we pray to God Himself for our sins we habitually do this with carelessness, and although our knees are bent on the ground, our hearts themselves are imagining that they are occupied in the performance of worldly affairs. If God were to enquire carefully into this matter, where should we be able to stand? If, moreover, He were to bring forward (or, into the midst) the charges which we have uttered against each other, and the jealousy, and the hatred, what should we do? If also He were to examine carefully in respect of looking [upon our neighbours] with evil intent (or, maliciously), what should we do? And if He were to search into us carefully in respect of our evil desires, and if He were to demand from us our words of abuse, would any of us be able to open our mouths?
Moreover, if He were to judge us for our love of the approbation of men which we have mingled with our prayers, and fastings, and acts of mercy, should we ever be able to look boldly into heaven at all? If He were to look closely into our behaviour in respect of the acts of deceit which we have done to each other, and of how, when our brother was present with us, we held converse with him as a friend, but when he was absent we heaped abuse of every kind upon him as if he had been an enemy [what should we do?]. If He were to make a reckoning with us in respect of our false oaths, and our lies, and our wrath without cause against each other, and our malicious feelings, and our emotions of grief when we saw any one of our friends held in honour by men, or praised more than ourselves, and our feelings of joy when certain folk fell into evil and calamity, should we not be condemned to most severe punishment because of our behaviour in this respect. If He were to exact punishment from us for our carelessness in our assemblies for the Holy Communion, wherein God Himself speaks to us in the Scriptures, but we pay no attention to Him, and we hold converse with our fellow-servants, should we not then be condemned to a punishment of great severity, because of our behaviour in this respect?
For this reason let us set Gehenna before our eyes at all seasons. And even if we had not been threatened definitely with Gehenna, it would have been meet for us to keep our sins in our memory at all times, [and seeing that] this Gehenna is ready for us, how much more are we bound to keep our sins in remembrance?
Remember you the Judge.
For behold, he (i. e., the Book) spoke unto you aforetime concerning the punishment so that you might make your escape from the danger. If He were to command you saying, 'Fast, but you could find an excuse for not doing so in your weakness. If He were to say unto you, 'Give money in charity.' you could find an excuse for not doing so in your poverty. If He were to say unto you, 'Collect nothing in this world.' you could find an excuse in the necessity for providing for your son. But if He were to say unto you, ' Be not angry, bear no malice against, have no hatred for, treat not with contumely him that is your neighbour,' what would you reply in respect of these things? Since, therefore, there is no apology for you whatsoever, and there is no means of escape from these things in this respect, how will you be able to lift up your hands to heaven seeing that these things are in your soul?
Moreover, on many occasions you have said, ' They have treated me unjustly, they have defrauded me of my property, they have done me an injury, and they have spoken evil things against me '; but you hadst only to wait for the decision of the governor. If a servant were to treat you with insolence you would not yourself beat him, but would make an accusation against him to his master. How much more is it meet for you to leave the matter unto Him Who said, f Cast the judgement upon Me; I will repay, says God.' [ Rom. xii. 19. ]
You knowest, therefore, that it will be necessary for you I to take your stand before the Awful Throne, where neither advocate nor possessions will be able to assist you, and that your soul will come forth on the ' river of flame which flows before the throne of Christ ', even as the fathers say who have been in that place before you.
Let the fountain of your tears be in size according to the measure of the sins which you have committed. If your sins be few, then a little shedding of tears will suffice. If your transgression be great, then you will have need of overwhelming torrents of tears. If, however, you yourself are free from sin, then shed you your tears on behalf of your brother to a suitable degree, and weep with him for his sins. The place through which sin enters is the eye; let, then, healing come through the eye. Let us repent before the door of repentance be shut in our teeth (or, mouth). For this reason [was said] that which was said, ' Let him that thinks he stands look carefully lest he fall.' [ 1 Cor. x. 12. ] Let him that is in a slippery place, and has fallen, make haste to rise up [again], for he must not abandon himself to despair. For it is written, ' God upholds those who fall.' [ Ps. cxlv. 14. ]
And it happens that a man moves sometimes a very little, according to that which David spoke saying, { As for me, a very little more and my feet would have moved; and a very little more and my steps would have slipped. [ Ps. lxxiii. 2. ] And again, if I say, My feet move; but your grace, O God, helps me.' [ Ps. xciv. 18. ] Then again, ' They thrust sore at me to make me fall, but God gave me [His] hand.' [ Ps. cxviii. 13. ] He who has fallen has,
in these ensamples, an encouragement not to allow himself to remain in his fallen state, and he (i.e., the Book) says, 'Will not he that is in the habit of falling rise up again? ' [ Jer. viii. 4. ]
Watch, however, lest having heard of the goodness of God, you become careless. Verily it is written, 'God, the True Judge, is longsuffering and merciful '; [ Ps. ciii. 8. ] and He receives (or, accepts) the repentance of those who will turn unto Him, as one Who loves men. But the Book says, 'If ye will not turn yourselves He will sharpen His sword.'
Listen, for the Book says He will sharpen it. Now hitherto He has not made use of it to smite, for He thought that when you saw Him sharpening His sword, you would anticipate the passing of the sentence, and that fear would rouse you up to repentance. For the Book says, 'He has stretched His bow, He has made it ready.' [ Ps. vii. 12. ] Because you have not yet seen the 'arrow, presume not on the mercifulness of the Judge.'
Listen to [the words of] longsuffering of the Saviour Who said, ' Agree you with him that goes to law with you.' [ Matt. v. 25. ] Now the adversary, that is to say, he that fights with you, is with you at all times. And that it is unlikely that you will be able to rid yourself of him Paul teaches you saying, 'The flesh lusts against our spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; these, moreover, war against each other.' [ Gal. v. 17. ] Now the spirit wars against the flesh, and it brings into subjection the lust of this world through the hope of the kingdom which is in the heavens. The flesh itself wars against the spirit, and it inclines towards the earth and the pleasures thereof. Agree you therefore with him that goes to law with you while he is with you in the way; for when the way has come to an end, you will no longer find another opportunity for repentance. Watch you then carefully lest he that goes to law with you give
you over into the hand of the Judge, and the Judge give you over into the hand of the attendant, that is to say, the merciless powers which are over the punishments, and they cast you into prison, that is to say, the outer darkness, until you pay the uttermost kontrantes. Moreover, they will judge you not only for your deeds, but also for your thoughts and for your motives.
Since, therefore, we know all these things, let us help ourselves. When we will have actual experience of the punishments, then we will know that bitter is pleasure, and then we will have good reason for knowing how bitter that bitterness can be.
Now therefore, since these things take place in this wise, O my beloved, let us make our appeal to the Merciful God not to deliver us over into the hands of the demons. Let us ourselves say with the holy man David, ' Give you me not over unto those who would do violence unto me.' [ Ps. cxix. 121. ] For it is they who urge us on into sin straightway, and it is they who will be our accusers in the Day of Judgement. It is not the Devil only, but all his angels also, who will make accusations against us saying, ' Were we not those who assisted you in [committing] fornication, and to be wroth, and to love vain glory, and in [utter] malicious calumnies? ' Let us, then, be afraid in our hearts of that day, and of that hour wherein our own power of reasoning will be our sternest judge, and of that moment wherein we will see them (i. e., our sins) all standing before us, clearly depicted in our sight, as if they were actual images, and let us cry out to our God with all our hearts. For even if the flesh which is on us be weak, yet He Who is ready to help us is mighty, and He will give us salvation in His Kingdom.
[Now] we ourselves love a certain man for [one] of three things; either because of his goodness, or because he loves us ourselves, or because of his beauty. But what other kind of beauty is there which can be compared with that which belongs to our God? even as David spoke saying, ' He is fairer in His beauty than the children of men.' [ Ps. xlv. 2. ] Moreover, who is there that does such good that he will prepare for those who love him the good things which the eye has not seen, nor the ear heard of, nor has the conception thereof entered into the hearts of men? [ Isa. lxiv. 4. ]
Moreover, who is there who has loved us as our God and Father has loved us? He cries out saying, 'Does there exist a mother who forgets her son? [ Isa. xlix. 15. ] Or does there exist a bride who will forget the bridal adornments which have been given to her? Or does there exist a virgin who will forget the girdle wherewith she binds herself? Yet I will not forget, says God. [ Jer. ii. 32. ]
Consider now the blessed man David and how great was the desire which he had to see God, for he said, 'When will I come and appear before the face of my God? ' [ Ps. xlii.2. ] He did not wish to wait until the appointed time in his life, but he burned with desire to come forth from this place (or, world), and to see Him Whom he loved. Such desire or such readiness appertained to the soul of the philosopher, which took to itself wings and flew up into the sky. Moreover, you yourself will love this [God] only, and you will pass by all the works (or, affairs) of this life as if they were shadows. Keep you in remembrance at all times the life which will be for ever, and the kingdom which will endure, and the existence with the choirs of angels, and the imperishable glory, and the living of the life with Christ, wherein there will be no sorrow of heart whatsoever, for the Scripture says, ' Sorrow of heart, and grief, and sighing, will flee away.' [ Isa. xxxv. 10. ]
And continue to remember this life wherein there is nothing but grief, and weeping, and sadness of heart, and contumely, and carelessness, and sin, and suffering, and old age, and death. Now David saw these things, and more than these, that is to say, calumny (or, injustice), and widowhood, and sudden death, and retribution for sin, and the fallings into tribulations of all kinds which are incidental to citizenship in this life, and he earnestly desired to escape from all these [troubles]. And he said, ' When will I come and appear before the face of my God?' [ Ps. xlii. 2. ] He wished to depart from this place (i. e., world), and to enter into the place (or, world) wherein are peace, and gladness, and love, and splendour, and freedom from care, and all the good things which no words can possibly present to the mind. For this reason, since you yourself have the hope of enjoying such great delights as these, do not you treat the matter [of your life] with contempt. Let your lamp be kept burning every day, and be you prepared to meet the Bridegroom, so that you yourself might hear [the words], 'Enter into the' joy of our God.' [ Matt. xxv. 21. ]
It is right therefore for us to keep watch, and to pray at all times. For if after God spoke unto the Devil saying, ' Lay not your hands upon My servant Job.' [ Job i. 12. ] He still continued to hope that he would be able to cast him down, how much more will he fight against us who are under his hand? And if he is not to cast us down, we will have need of long nights of protracted watching to guard our souls [thereby]. Now the soldier is accustomed to keep watch very many nights when on the march, and the fisherman does not sleep, but keeps watch the whole night long until he has caught a multitude of fishes. Similarly also the husbandman is accustomed to keep watch throughout the night, so that no person may destroy his vineyard, and the shepherd also keeps watch all night guarding his flocks of sheep, even as the Patriarch Jacob spoke saying, ' I was consumed by the fiery heat in the daytime, and by the cold of the night, and sleep departed from my eyes.' [ Gen. xxxi. 40. ]
And for what reason did he pass such long nights of vigil? He did so because he said, Peradventure some wild beast will destroy one of the sheep. Now if he took all this care for the sake of a sheep which is without reason, it is meet that we should take far greater care of our soul which has reason, and is far more precious than any other thing whatsoever; and it is the soul which they will place before the Awful Throne, and make to defend itself for all that it has done. For this reason, moreover, let us set down the burden of our sins from our shoulders before the place of judgement [is made ready], for it is unlikely that we will be able to repent in that place (i. e., in the world to come). For this same reason we will be condemned to come forth from the body [which will] be hidden from us, in order that we may be in terror at all times. For if in a court of justice in this world men are terrified, and become as cold as ice through fear when they hear the voice of the court-crier proclaiming [the names] of those who have been condemned, how much more should those be terrified who are destined to take their stand before the Awful Throne, in the midst of thousands of thousands, and tens of thousands of tens of thousands of angels?
And consider the blessed man Jacob who, having set a stone under his head, slept and saw a ladder upon the earth, the top whereof reached up into the sky; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it, and they were bearing our prayers up to God, and bringing to us blessings from His hand. It must be, moreover, that all these keep their gaze upon us, nay, more than this, they must be sorry at heart for us. If they have joy concerning us when we repent, in like manner they must be sorrowful in heart concerning our carelessness. For at all times our conscience accuses us, and chids us for what we have done, more especially when we speak concerning the judgement which is to come; moreover, the correction which is the result of the words which are good is wholesome.
Would I that that rich man had been rebuked [on earth], for then his tongue would not have been consumed in the fire which cannot be extinguished! If you desire earnestly virginity, and you keep the commandments, God will bestow it upon you in full measure. And if you will say when you pray, ' Keep me, O God, as the apple of [Your] eye,' [ Ps. xvii. 8. ] He Himself will say unto you, 'Keep My words and My commandments as the apple of [your] eye. [ Zech. ii. 8. ] When you keep His commandments, He Himself will take care of your soul, and you will say concerning yourself, 'Whosoever touches you will be as one who touches the apple of His eye.'
And, O beloved, now that you have set your hand to the plough, do not turn back, and you will not become like a pillar of salt. Let your tongue speak at all times concerning the judgement which is to come, and make you yourself to be useful, and you will become a chosen man, through the fear of the place of judgement in the Other World.
Let neither anger have dominion over you, nor grief, nor any feeling of passion whatsoever; and utter not vain
words without consideration. On the contrary, let the Law of God be at all times in your mouth, so that your eye will pass through all these things, and your speech will be according to the Law of God. Set you the Giver of the Law before your eyes at all times, and let Him continue to abide with you, and let Him be unto you a counsellor. And if you will see one who fares delicately, and who enjoys himself in great riches, know that he will wither suddenly like the grass of the field. Let him fare delicately in his eatings and feastings, but [nourish] yourself on the words of God.
Many of the virgins have become martyrs, and since they conquered death, even though some of them were women, is it not meet that you, who are a man, should gain the victory over desire? Strive you with all your might to make your members creatures of sacrifice, so that you might conquer not only your desire, but also that you might have rule over pride and wrath. Let there be a measure set for [your] tongue, and take heed that you dost not make your conscience to pass sentence upon you before the condemnation (or, judgement). Remember you that of necessity all our works will be made manifest. No man desires that even one person will see us in this world if we are to be put to shame; then where will we hide ourselves in that Other World, among the thousands of thousands, and tens of thousands of tens of thousands [of angels]?
Now John, because he was a holy virgin, reclined upon the breast of Jesus. Let that soul which wishes to become the bride of Jesus Christ guard carefully its innocence; for the tree is known by its fruit, and 'the righteous man declares the faith which is manifest.' [ 1 Cor. iii. 13. ] Remember you at all times the good confession of Christ which has entered into your heart. Remember you the last day. Make yourself secure on every side, especially in the matter of your tongue, for the Scripture says, ' The tongue is that which pollutes the whole body '; [ Jas. iii. 6. ] when the body is polluted it is a necessity that the heart also should be corrupt therewith. Therefore well has Paul said, 'Men whose hearts are evil. [ 1 Tim. vi. 5. ] and ' evil words corrupt the hearts which are
good '. [ 1 Cor. xv. 33. ] Seek after Paul, even as did the blessed woman Thekla, [ Footnote: Thekla was a native of Iconium, and the daughter of Theocleia, a woman of high rank. She hecame acquainted with St. Paul when she was about seventeen or eighteen years of age, and was converted by his preaching. By bribing his servants she obtained admission to his cell, and she spent a whole night at his feet listening to his doctrine. When Paul was haled before Castelius the governor she was summoned to attend, and was condemned to be burnt alive. Whilst this order was being carried out a thunderstorm took place; the rain extinguished the fire, and as the officers fled Thekla escaped. Paul had taken refuge in a tomb, and thither Thekla was brought by one of his young men who had gone into Iconium to buy food, and had found her by chance wandering about. Paul and Thekla then went on to Antioch. Alexander the governor wished to gain possession of her, but having assaulted him she was condemned to be thrown to the beasts. She was, however, miraculously delivered from them, and having escaped from the theatre, she cut off her hair, disguised herself as a man, and set out to find Paul, who was at Myra in Lycia. Afterwards she returned to Iconium, and finding that Thamyris, her former lover, was dead, she had nothing to fear. She then went to Seleucia, where she subsequently died in ] so that you might hear the words of Paul. You have need of wings, and if you have no wings you will find it vain to attempt to fly.
Let your eyes look downwards upon the ground, but let your heart be in the height of the heavens. You have need of great soberness (or, caution), for your Adversary stands against you, and he is wary. He was cast forth from the Paradise which was upon the earth, and he sees you now [as] you enter into heaven, and is not unmindful of it. Hearken unto the word of him that says, ' I wish that you may be without care.' [ Phil. iv. 6. 4 ]
Let there be no care whatsoever to you about anything, except only that which concerns the kingdom which is in the heavens. [ Matt. vi. 81, 33. ] If you wish to enter into heaven with the body, from the earth, subdue you the flesh by means of fasting, and then you will be able to make it to enter into the height with ease. If a horse be accustomed to eat large quantities of food, he is able neither to gallop quickly nor to make long marches, and he is unable to do regular work.
Had Israel not eaten and waxed fat, he would not have kicked. [ Deut. xxxii. 15. ]
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, wherein is He Whom you love, and you will overcome passion by means of the love which is holy. Prayer and faith will help you, and the Holy Scriptures will give you instruction, and you will have from this world, according to [His] pledge to us, the rest which is in the heavens. Abide not with a woman who will make you to offend, have no care for a child, and avoid the care which appertains to the rearing of a child. Follow after your God Who will be the guide of your heart into the kingdom which is in the heavens. Follow after Him Who says unto you, ' If you will come to Me in rectitude, I Myself will come to you in rectitude.'
If you wish to be like Christ, follow in His footsteps; narrow is the gate and difficult, and it is [only] the righteous who enter in through it. [ Matt. vii. 13. ] Hearken unto the blessed man Daniel, who says, ' I Daniel was in sore grief for three weeks. I ate no bread with desire, and neither flesh nor wine entered into my mouth.' [ Dan. x. 2. ] And John who dwelt in the desert did not cultivate a vineyard for himself, in order that he might not make himself to be a being attached to the earth. Let these be unto you [examples] which have been prepared to instruct you. You will choose for yourself the citizenship which appertains to heaven. [ Phil. iii. 20. ] Fight the good fight of faith, [ 1 Tim. vi. 12. ] and look eagerly beyond it to your crown of righteousness, and let your career be strenuous.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. [ Heb. x. 31. ] Have you not observed the statues of the emperors, and noticed that some of them are large and beautifully adorned, while others have become black through [the lapse of] time, and have decayed, and have become objects of derision? Thus will all our works appear in that other world which is to come, even as the statues. Let us flee from that shame which will be for ever, and let us say, 'Guard me, O God, for in You have I set my hope; You have no need of good gifts.' [ Ps. xvi. 1. ] For He has no need whatsoever of anything that belongs to us, except only the salvation of our souls. Therefore, let us offer ourselves as a living, holy sacrifice, [ Rom. xii. 1. ] as it is written, 'I am not to be propitiated with a burnt offering, but with mercy and patient endurance'; for He spoke saying, 'He that will endure patiently to the end will be saved.' [ Matt. x. 22. ] And again [the Book says], ( He has suffered for ever, he will live to the I end.' [ Rev. ii. 10. ]
Therefore, as we would choose for ourselves a life free from care, and free from disturbance, let us run wisely so that we may obtain, [ 1 Cor. ix. 24. ] even as it is written. It is not a few dangers which should make us to break the agreement which we have made with God. For this reason let us teach our tongue, let us teach our eyes, let us lift up in prayer our hands, which will be clean, and let us make our feet to walk in rectitude. Create for yourself a citizenship which will be good, and without blemish, by means of humility, and shamefacedness, and calmness of mind and body, and temperance in eating, and the continence which is effective, and the love of strenuous toil, and sympathy, and brotherly love, and the sharing of our possessions with our neighbours, and the faith which is perfect. Now these are only a very few [of the qualities] of which we may make mention in this case, and they need great striving to make them to flourish. The Book says, ' The kingdom which is in the heavens is like unto the [ten] virgins.' [ Matt. xxv. 1. ] It does not say that it is like unto the sun, or the moon, or the beautiful hosts of the stars, or the gold which is incorruptible, or the beauty which fades away, or even the sky itself. Observe the exalted reputation of purity, for it enters into everything. And it is this of which Paul, the sponsor, spoke saying, ' I would that ye should be without carefulness.' [ 1 Cor. vii. 32. ] Therefore what is seemly for us to do is to pray, so that those who are strong among the virgins may remain permanent in their healthy state, and that those who are sick, who have actually fallen into sin, may receive healing.
Now it is seemly that we ourselves should weep in such a manner that we may wash out our eyes which have been seeing badly; you see the wound, and you know what will heal it. Fortify you the windows of your soul, and not only your ears, and your eyes, and your mouth, for these are the entrances through which the Evil One is wont to come in, even as it is written, 'Death has entered in through your windows.' [ Jer. ix. 21. ] Let the commandments of holiness be upon your eyes, and upon your ears. Let the Psalms be in your mouth, and meditation on the Scriptures [in your heart]. Therefore it is seemly for us to open our windows, that is to say, our senses (or, feelings) to God, and to shut them fast against the Adversary. Say you, moreover, with that holy soul, ' I will go up into the palm tree, and I will lay hold of the height thereof.' [ Song vii. 8. ] that is to say, ' I will lift up my mind into the heavens, I will lay hold upon the right faith, and I will not concern myself with the things of the earth.
Take you, however, good heed to yourself, lest there be thorns in the palm tree, that is to say, admonishings, when you are driven to follow after sin, for the Book says, ' The words of the wise are as ox-goads, and as the nails which are sharp ' [ Eccles. xii. 11. ] - so that while these remain fixed in your heart you will abstain from every sin. Now the Book says, ' Lay hold upon the height thereof, in order that you might be above the sky, and be able to bear the temptations which will come upon you. From time to time, and at all times, rehearse the Holy Scriptures, for as the wine which men drink assuages grief, and changes the sadness of the heart into joy, even so does the spiritual wine which is distributed throughout the Scriptures make the soul which has partaken thereof to rejoice.
Let the remembrance of God be in your heart at all times, and you will say with David, 'I see God face to face at all times; He is on [my] right hand, therefore will I never be moved.' [ Ps xvi 8 ] Let these words be written on your hands, and fixed firmly before your eyes. If you will ascribe glory to God by reason of His commandments, He will be on your right hand; if you treat Him with contempt through your transgressions, the Devil will be on your right hand. For thus does the Scripture bear witness concerning Judas who made himself to be an assistant [of the Devil]: 'Let the Devil stand on his right hand.' [ Ps cix 6 ] Ascribe glory to God at all times, and say, 'I will exalt You, O my God and King'; [ Ps cxlv. 1 ] you will glorify Him through your works, and not through your words only.
In this wise did David ascribe glory to God, and he said, 'I will bless You for ever, and for ever and ever. [ Ps. cxlv. 1 ] [He did not glorify Him] for a day, neither for a month, nor for a year, but throughout his life, for he well knew that if a man made perfect his glorification of God he would be only beginning. But you will say often, 'What manner of heart is it that is able to ascribe glory to God at all times?' Now the heart is even as the blessed man Paul wrote, 'I know not how to do anything whatsoever.' [ 1 Cor. iv. 1 ] And again, it is even as David spoke saying, ' Cleanse me, O God, from my secret [sins]. l And our heart must be like unto that which the Saviour commanded us to make for ourselves saying [ Ps. xix. 12. ] 'Blessed are those who are pure in their hearts, for they will see God.' [ Matt. v. 8. ]
Thus is it with the man who committed no sin against God, and who ascribes glory to God through his words and through his works. And if there comes upon such a man who does such things sickness, or poverty, or death, he will not fall into despair, but he will say with Paul, 'Who will separate us from the love of God?' and the words which follow these. Remember you the day, that Awful Day, which will be filled with quaking, and that moment when we will take our stand before the Holy Throne, and will have to defend every deed which we have done in this world, and when all the sins which we have committed will be made to appear before the eyes of every one, and when there will be revealed again to us those things which we had forgotten. In that place will there be the river of fire, and the worm which is deathless. Remember that moment when the books of our hearts will be opened, when they will unroll them and read them aloud in the midst of the theatre of that Other World. Then will all the works which we have done be laid bare, those which we have done openly, and those which we have done in secret, and the things which have been done in the night season, and those which have been done in the daytime, and those which we have done inadvertently, and the faults of forgetfulness, and those which we have done with the members in the body, and those which we have performed at the dictates of our hearts; and in that hour everything which we have done during our whole lives, and every sin which we committed in secret, will be revealed. Remember that it is necessary for us to transfer ourselves from this world, and that we must appear before the Judge Whom it is impossible to deceive, Who will reveal the things which are hidden in the darkness, Who will make manifest the counsels of hearts, and Who will try our works, and our thoughts, and our words. In [that] hour we will receive a great punishment for the sins which we have committed, and which we imagined were few.
Keep in your remembrance at every hour the flame of Gehenna which cannot be quenched, and forget it not. And set, at all times, before your eyes the Judge, Who will come to judge those who are living and those who are dead. Think, moreover, of the thousands of thousands, and the tens of thousands of tens of thousands, of angels who stand before the Judge at all times. Let your ears hear beforehand the sound of the trumpets, and the awful voice of that Judge, and let your eyes see beforehand the things which are ordained to take place.
Now there will be some whom they will cast forth into the outer darkness, and there are others who even after the fight, and the suffering, which [they have endured for the sake of] virginity, will have the door of the bridal chamber, which is in the heavens, shut against them. Look at certain of them, and observe how they are tied up in bundles, like garden waste, and cast into the furnace of fire. And see how they bind the hands and the feet of others and cast them forth into the outer darkness, and how certain of them are delivered over to the worm which sleeps not, and to the gnashing of the teeth. On one they pass the sentence of condemnation because he laughed the laugh of the scoffer, and out of season; and on another because he offended his brother, or because he behaved unjustly towards his neighbour; and they judge another because of the sins which he committed in secret. To another they assign retribution because of the idle words which he spoke. On another they pass sentence of doom because of his evil mind. In the face (or, mouth) of another the door of the kingdom is shut because of the words of infamy which he has spoken. Another they deliver over to the punishment ( which is without healing, because he did not hate the things which are evil. Another they deliver over to derision and shame for ever. And others who have shewn themselves to be entirely destitute of the understanding of God will hear [spoken the words], 'I know you not; where are you? ' [ Matt. xxv. 1 ] because they did in the course of their works things which were an abomination to Christ.
These things then being thus, in what manner is it meet for us to live? We must devote ourselves daily to the shedding of torrents of tears, and we must say with the prophet, ' Who will set a stream of water upon my head, and a fountain of tears in my eyes? ' [ Jer. ix. 1. ] I will weep for my sins by day and by night, so that I may be able to flee from the punishment which will take place. Let us confess beforehand our sins, before [we come to] that awful place of judgement. Let us cry out to the mercy of God, so long as we are in this habitation, for the Scripture says, ' Who will give thanks unto You in Hades?'[ Ps. vi. 5. ]'
Moreover, let us consider this, O beloved. God has made for us all the members of our material body double, for He has bestowed upon us two eyes, two ears, two hands, and two feet. If it should happen that one of these [pairs] becomes disabled through sickness, we are able to relieve our wants by [ [using] the other. The soul, however, which has been made for us is one only, and if we destroy it through carelessness, by what manner of means will we live?
Let us take exceedingly great care that we do not permit anything whatsoever to become of more importance than the health of the soul, for it is the soul which will be set up to be judged, and it is the soul which will have to defend [the body] before that Throne. If you will say at that time to
the Judge, ' The possessions of this world outwitted me.' He Who judges will make answer unto you saying, ' Did you then not hear Me when I cried out to you, In what will a man be benefited if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?' [ Matt. xvi. 26. ] And He will say to you, moreover, ' Eve profited nothing when she said, " The serpent deceived me." ' [ Gen. iii. 13. ]
Further, O my brethren, let us set these things in our hearts. Come, let us rise up of ourselves with glad readiness. Come, let us ascribe glory to God, before the darkness comes, and before there comes upon us that great and shining day, concerning which the Prophet spoke saying, 'Behold, God comes! Who will be able to abide the day in which He comes?' [ Mal. iii. 2. ] That day will be a day of terror, a day of darkness and blackness, a day of cloud and gloom, a day of blasts of the trumpet. Peradventure you will say, ( Who will be able to escape all these things? ' Hearken, it is I who will tell you. Now you must not imagine that you will escape merely by keeping your body in a state of purity; on the contrary [these things also must you do].
Whensoever any man does unto you that which is evil you must do to him that which is good in return. Whensoever men make false accusations against you you must continue to lead a well-ordered life. Whensoever men curse (or, revile) you, you must bless them in return. Whensoever you will fast you will not be puffed up thereby, for it is not your abstinence from eating only which is true fasting, but also your abstinence from sin.
It is meet for us to search carefully the Scriptures. For observe that it was a staff of wood of the almond tree which the prophet saw at the beginning, but afterwards it was a brazen vessel of fire which actually appeared to him, [ Jer. i. 11-13. ] which indicated that he who will not lay hold on the rod of correction in this world, is he whom the fire of Gehenna will put to the test in the next. Moreover, in this same manner did Moses teach the people, with a pillar of light and a pillar of fire. [ Exod. xiii. 21. ] He cried out unto every one saying: 'He who will hearken to the Law will have the enjoyment of the light which is true and pleasant, and he who will not hearken will be delivered over to the fire.'
Read the Gospels, and you will know that when we will go forth from this world there is nothing whatsoever which will help us. No brother will be able to set free [another] brother from the punishment which never ends, and no friend will be able to help his friend; neither will fathers be able to help their children, nor children their fathers. But why should I speak of ordinary men in this manner? For neither Noah, nor Daniel, nor Job, [ Ezek. xiv. 14. ] would be able to set free either son or daughter. Now many times you will say to me, ' What is the proof of these words? ' [I will tell you.] Consider the man who had not on him the wedding garment, and observe that, after they had cast him forth from the bridal chamber, [ Matt. xxii. 12, 13. ] there was not one of those that sat at meat who interceded for him. Consider, moreover, the servant unto whom the talent [ Matt. xxv. 24 30. ] was given, and observe that, after he had been cast forth into the outer darkness, there was no man who made an appeal on his behalf. Consider, moreover, the five virgins, [ Matt. xxv. 11, 12. ] and observe that after the door of the bridal chamber had been shut in their faces (or, mouths), none of their fellow-virgins asked the bridegroom for a recompense for those whom Christ called, 'foolish' although they had trampled under foot the flame of pleasure, and had extinguished the fire of desire, and had kept protracted fasts, and had passed whole nights in vigil, and had slept on the ground, although, I say, they had done all these things, He called them 'foolish', and in very truth rightly did He call them by this name, because, though they had observed the great commandment to guard their virginity with success, they had forgotten to observe the little commandment which taught charity.
Think of the Judge Who sets the sheep on His right hand, and the unfruitful goats on His left. Unto those who are on His right hand He says, ' Come, and inherit the kingdom.' [ Matt. xxv. 34. 1 ] and those who are on [His] left He Himself casts forth into the outer darkness, and none of those who are on the right hand is able to help them. Verily, true is that proverb which says, ' Behold the man and his work.' Behold, have you not heard concerning that rich man, between whom and Lazarus a gulf had been made, who wished him to sprinkle water [on his tongue] as he was burning in the place of punishment? [ Luke xvi. 19 -31. ] And you saw also that Abraham was not able to set the rich man free from the place of punishment, although the rich man entreated him [to do so]. Ought we not, then, to help ourselves in this world, and to ascribe glory to God before the darkness comes, that is to say, before we are banished into the darkness?
It is far better to have our tongue parched in this world by fasting than for us to wish to have water sprinkled [upon it] in that place where water will not be given unto us. Let us put forth our utmost endeavour to free ourselves from this great torture through a few sufferings in this world. Remember when the fever of sickness comes upon us, or a few disasters (or, calamities), or when we look upon those who are punished by the judge in [this] world, whereupon horror and quaking seize upon us, notwithstanding the fact that both the punishment and the place of judgement [endure] only for a very short space of time, remember, I say, what manner of punishment it will be in the place of judgement in the Other World which is to come, wherein we will be punished for endless ages.
Ought we not, therefore, to make haste to enter in through the narrow gate, and not to walk about in the broad way? [ Matt. vii. 13. ] Now we know that all the works of the world are like unto dreams, and that they all pass away into destruction. For sickness brings to nought the strength of the body, and even the beauty of the bodily form decays through old age. And even if we enjoy [the sight of] a table heaped high with food, when the evening comes we forget the pleasures thereof. And in short, everything which is in this world becomes like the web of the spider, and like dreams. Rightly, therefore, did the Saviour ascribe blessing to those who afflict themselves so that the pleasures of this world may not prevail over them.
Should not, then, we ourselves do as did Abraham, who hearkened unto [the words], ' Get you forth from your country.' [ Gen. xii. 1. ] and come forth from our iniquity? And let us pray with the holy man David, and say unto God, ' I will bless You seven times in the day because of the judgement of Your righteousness. [ Ps. cxix. 164. ] Now it is a good occupation to hold converse with God at all times by means of prayer. If the friendship of a good man converts him that meets with him to that which is excellent, how much more will he be benefited who holds converse with God, by night and by day, by means of prayer? Now, no man ever sinned who remembered that God was before him.
Therefore ought we not to remember that which he said, 'Pray at all times,' [ 1 Thess. v. 17. ] in order that sin may not discover a way whereby to enter into our hearts through the practice of forgetfulness? Ponder beforehand upon the death which you will die in your members which are upon the earth, and [remember] that the day of God will come like a thief. When those who are to bear away your soul will come after you you will say, ' Be merciful unto me, for I will fast, I will do deeds of mercy, I will repent.' And they will say to you, 'Didst you, then, not hear God Who cried out saying, " The kingdom which is in the heavens has drawn close? " [ Matt. iii. 2. ] Did you, then, not hear Him when He spoke saying, " Show mercy, and I will show mercy unto you? " [ Compare Matt. iii. 2. v. 7 and Luke vi. 36. ] Did you, then, not hear Paul saying, " While we have time with us let us do the thing which is good? " [ Gal. vi. 10. ]
He who desires salvation has no need of a long time [for repentance]. The thief had no need of a long time for repentance; he believed earnestly, and he gained Paradise. And the holy martyrs in a very little time inherited the kingdom which is in the heavens; they gave their blood, do you give your tears. He Who said, 'I would that all men should be saved,' is no liar; for this reason He teaches us not only by the Holy Scriptures, but also by the misfortunes and sufferings of others.
Moreover, we see physicians inflicting pain on men, and we also see the governors who sit on the seat of judgement inflicting righteous punishments on the thieves, and this they do in order that through the sufferings of others we may be admonished. And now, O my beloved, since we are rooted in the faith, let us increase in knowledge; from knowledge [let us proceed] to love, and from this to the inheritance which is in the heavens. Let us persist obstinately in prayer, as it is written. [ Acts ii. 42. ] Shepherds, even if there be no wolves about them, keep watch all night over their flocks of sheep, and even if there be no wild animals [about them] their dogs keep watch for them. For this reason is it good that we should continue to exercise ourselves in our work at all times, and even if no temptations come upon us, the exercise will certainly do you no harm whatsoever, nay, on the contrary, you will benefit yourself exceedingly. For who is the man who did not benefit himself by watching all night in prayer?
Therefore it is meet for us to keep watch on every side, so that evil may not break into our souls. When once the soul has tasted sin, it will continue in a state of unconsciousness, and will go on adding greatly to the sickness of sin. For as when you have once kindled a fire it burns up quickly through the fuel [above it], and flames burst out in all directions, even so is it in the case of the natural disposition of sin, which finally obtains the mastery over the reasoning power of the soul, and then destroys the whole soul itself, and the body also with it. For this reason what we ought to do is to drive back once and for all the beginnings of sin, just as we should drive back a horse which is uncontrolled. If we take heed [that we speak not] idle words, how much more ought we to do so in the case of the sins which lead to death? Let not the pleasure of the works of [this] life lead us astray.
For the works of men are in no wise different from dreams and shadows, and they are like the rushing torrent which flows swiftly away. Hold not to be marvellous things the possessions and the riches of this world, but observe how they are transferred from this man to that, and how they pass from that man to another; for this reason it is right that we should despise them. For very right is the word which is written that says, ' The things which are seen are those that are for a time, while the things which are not seen are those which are for ever.[ 2 Cor. iv. 18. ].The latter things are incorruptible and indestructible, and they abide without change.
Let us therefore do our utmost to acquire these things for ourselves. Let us strive eagerly for these things, for otherwise it is unlikely that we will be able to acquire any of these for ourselves, when we will go forth from this life. For he who strives in the contest receives not the crown if he abandons the contest; therefore let us seize and carry off the crown, and we will thus escape disgrace and loss. Now the Scripture says, ( He whose possessions are consumed with fire will suffer loss. [ 1 Cor. iii. 13. ] Now what kind of burning with fire is that which will be to us? And what kind of thing is the outer darkness? And what kind of things are the place of Weeping and the gnashing of teeth? Take these things into your heart, and guard your soul and keep in the virgin state until the Bridegroom comes in His glory. And sing psalms saying, ' My soul is in your hands at all times.' I do not forget your Law.' [ Ps. cxix. 109. ] And say, 'You are He Who does deliver me from the snare of the hunter.' [ Ps. xci. 3; Ps. cxxiv. 7. ] Let your lamp be burning, and do not permit yourself to fall asleep. And if slumber be sweet to you in the night season, yet know you that there is nothing sweeter than the Psalms. For the holy man [David] said, 'Your words are sweeter in my throat than honey in the mouth.' [ Ps. cxix. 103. ] The martyrs gave their own souls for the Name of God: let us bring as an offering [to Him] our life of self-denial. Remember that some of the martyrs were laid upon coals of fire: let not, therefore, the matter seem to you to be a hardship if you have to sleep upon the ground. If your mouth is wont to become foul and bitter through fasting, [remember that] He Who created the sweetness in the honey tasted gall for your sake. Although you might weep occasionally for your sins, you have not as yet done as Paul did, who wept for the salvation of others. Let us address each other in these words: ' Suffering endures only for a short time, but the Resurrection (or, Rest) is for eternity.'
Vanquish suffering by means of hope. For the Scripture says, ' Tribulation works patience, and patience hope, and hope gives birth to shamefacedness.' [ Rom. v. 3. ] Consider, moreover, that pleasure [endures] only for a short time, and that punishment lasts for ever. Excuse yourself from the delight of pleasure, because of the tribulation of the punishment [thereof]. Cause not the Devil to make use of our members us arrows [against us], and guard yourself and let him not transfix you with the arrow of the appetite of the belly.
For you know that, after the people [of Israel] had passed over the sea, without being drowned, Moses himself became master of the land through the appetite of the belly. Take good heed yourself to the sufferings of those who were there, and flee you from their fall. If God did not give His people who were there [water] to drink, He will not give you [water] to drink if you practise carelessness. If you will strive in the contest with your whole heart, in perfect faith, you will be happy in joy and in gladness for ever. Lay fast hold, therefore, at all times upon these teachings which are full of salvation, and keep you them, and fulfil you them, so that the Holy Trinity may be glorified through you, Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, henceforward, and always, for all ages of ages. Amen.
* ↑ Rom 8. 28.