penitence.01 Chapter 1

The word which Apa John, the Archbishop of Constantinople, pronounced concerning repentance and continence

If the blessed man Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles,

who completed his course [and] kept the Faith.

who kept his light shining in fastings, and in hunger, and in thirst, and amid dangers.

who travelled with patient endurance the road from Jerusalem to Illyricum preaching the Gospel,

this angel who belonged to the earth,

this man who belonged to the heavens,

who possessed Christ Who spake in him,

the habitation of the Holy Spirit,

who was caught up to the third heaven [and] heard the words of mystery,

who was carried away into the Paradise,

who was by reason of his love and zeal well nigh the equal of Christ,

who bore the care of the Churches,

the orator of piety,

the sponser of those who believed on Christ,

the herald and teacher of the Gentiles,

who hath taught unto us the way whereby to enter into heaven,

[if this man, I say] said, 'I subdue my body,

and make it to be a servant,

lest having preached unto others I myself shall become a castaway;

and, moreover, if this holy man, who possessed in his own person so great a multitude of spiritual excellences, and who spake out boldly, saying, 'I know not how to do anything of myself,'

was afraid, and spake in a manner,

what shall we ourselves do, who are miserable creatures, and who are wholly unable to cultivate successfully one spiritual excellence?

It is not then seemly for us to keep watch and to pray at all times, 'and to make petitions to God neither for gold not silver, nor for any riches of this world, but only for 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, let him rejoice in God,

and let him seek after the honour which cometh from His hands, saying, 'My justification is before Thee.'

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 as did the Holy man David, 'God giveth strength to my beauty,'

so that when the Bridesgroom looketh upon the beauty of the soul He shall say, 'Though art wholly beautiful , my love, and there is not blemesh in thee.

But even if it be thy spiritual excellence flourisheth, take good heed that thy heart but not over-exalted because of thy beauty,

lest God turn His face away from thee because of thine exaltation of heart (or, pride).

For who is there who could make himself worthy of the things which [Christ] endured then patiently on thy behalf?

He humbled Himself for thee, and He gave His holy blood to be the price for thee.

He Who gave food unto all flesh fasted in the flesh for thy sake

He Who created the sweetness in the honey

tasted that which was bitter (gall) for thy sake.

He Who ornamented the heavens with the companies of the stars

wore a crown of thorns for thy sake;

and He became obedient even unto death,

the death of the Cross.

It is not, then, seemly for us to shew 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] saith, '[Be] sorrowful in heart upon your beds

because of the things which ye have said in your hearts [during the day],' so that we may have in remembrance in the night season, 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 evil upon him in his days.'

It was for this same reason that the Saviour proclaimed to be blessed who weep,

not those who weep for the dead, or the loss of property,

but those who weep for their sins.

Though thyself shalt say even as did David, 'Night after night I wash my bed,

and I soak my cushion[s] with my tears.' 'Wash though away the defilement by means of tears,

smite upon thy breast,

and take to thyself the remembrance of the sins

which though hast committed.

[If] though hast been snared at [any] time through thine eye,

if though hast opened thy window at [any] time wickedly,

thou hast done injury to thy soul through thine eye.

The eyes which look with wicked intent

heal thou now with tears,

and shut thou thy window that thou mayest not see again the things of vanity,

for otherwise, thou wilt fall into an evil habit.

Now habit is wont to draw him that clingeth thereto into great sins.

[When] though hast arrived thyself splendid apparel 'take good heed unto thyself not to sit down in any [dirty] place, 'lest it become spotted.

If thou shalt hold to be in a light matter the first stain, and the second, and the third, at length thy whole garment shall become dirty.

'Thou shalt not be careless [and] sit down in any polluted place whatsoever.

What are we to do then? [Thou hast] need to fervent prayer,

lest thou strike a stone with thy feet.

And [thou shalt pray fervently] that the Angel shall compass three round about, and shall deliver thee. And thou thyself shalt be strong and shalt say, 'The Angel who delivered me out of evil,'

'And [thou shalt pray fervently] that the Angel may cry out unto thee from heaven, even as [he cried] to Abraham,

for the Angels love those who love their own God.

He (i.e., the Book) saith moreover, 'Take a psalm, set ye forth a tabret,

a sweet psaltry and a harp';

thou art to take one thing, and three are demanded from thee.

For we are composed of three things, even as the Apostle [Paul] spake, 'He will keep safe him that is in the spirit, and He will make healthy your souls and your bodies.'

Now the psaltery is in the spirit,

the harp is in the soul,

and the tabret is the dead skin which covereth it.

Therefore, put thou to death the flesh,

and this shalt thou make thyself strong to ascribe blessings to God with the tabret and dance.

For it is God Himself Who hath filled thee with flesh.

Observe, therefore, lest He should say unto thee, 'What profit is there in My blood?'

What kind of recompense canst thou possibly make to Him which shall be adequate for all the sufferings which He endured on thy behalf?

Be thou a tree which beareth fruit, and thus shall thou cause the blessing of God to be upon thee.

Bring forth fruit according to thy strength

If thou art not able to bring forth an hundredfold, which is the [number of] perfection, then bring forth sixtyfold, which is the half thereof;

and if this be difficult for thee, then bring forth thirtyfold, which is one third thereof.

Only thou must labour according to thy strength,

for if thou art without fruit they will cut thee down and cast thee into the burning.

If thou cast 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.

Thou shall not perform the works which God hateth, for they shall take their stand before thee on the Day of Judgement like solid image(s).

And finally thou wilt have to begin to confess them in that place without witnesses

and without an advocate, and without proofs,

and thou wilt have to look upon the deeds

which thou hast uttered unwittingly, and they shall stand up like statues before thine eyes.

Weep before the time, so that thou mayest not hear in that place [the words], '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 shall 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.'

And again [he saith], 'Behold, now is the time which is accepted.'

Let us then weep over the deeds which we have committted unrighteosly,

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 with the weeping , and the gnashing of the teeth in that place whereto we mus 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]. Thou didst give me mine eyes, that I might see Thy 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 spake saying, ' Be prudent, be ye vigilant.'

The man that slumbereth shall not receive the crown of victory,

and the man that is careless and idle shall not receive the prize,

but the man who hath borne innumerable buffetings and wounds is he who shall 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 help undereth him that slumbereth.

Therefore, thou must know that thou hast about thee enemies which are evil.

Give, therefore, no sleep to thine eyes,

nor slumber to thine eyelids,

that thou mayest escape like a roe from the snare of the hunter, and like a bird from the net of the fowler.

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] saith, ' He who is our Adversary, the Devil, goeth about roaring, like the lions, and seeking after prey,'

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 thou shalt say, ' Through Thee shall I be delivered from a company of thieves,

and through my God I shall leap over a wall.'

Seek not to excuse thyself from suffering, lest by so doing thou shalt excuse thyself from the crown also.

The merchant loseth not courage, but he endureth even the waves of the sea, and he findeth possessions.

He who contendeth is wont to fight in pain and suffering even unto wounds, for his heart looketh for the crown of victory.

The husbandman doth not find ears of corn [in his tillage] | unless he hath 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 shall come.

Let us therefore devote our whole attention to watching at all times, so that when our Bridegroom shall 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.'

Now behold, the Saviour proclaimed blessed the man who was sober (or, vigilant), saying, , 'Blessed is that | servant whose master on coming shall find him keeping watch.'

And as He proclaimed blessed those who kept watch,

so also did He regard him that was careless as a bad servant, for He spake saying, ' That wicked servant shall say in his heart, 'My master tarrieth.' And he shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat, and to drink, and to become drunken.

And the master of that wicked servant shall come on a day which he knoweth not, and in an hour wherein he expecteth him not. And he shall cut him asunder, and shall set his portion with [the portions of] the unbelieving ones.'

If they shall cut asunder him that saith, ' My master tarrieth,' what shall they do unto him that doth 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 shall 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.'

' In this life we are in a mighty war.

The workers of evil, who are the demons, stretch their bows.

Then one of them shooteth an arrow into our ears, so that we may listen to slanderous chatterings with pleasure.

And another shooteth an arrow into our eyes, so that we may turn our gaze in a wrongful manner towards the things which are unseemly.

And another shooteth an arrow into our tongue, so as to make us to revile scornfully our brother.

And another shooteth an arrow into our belly, which exciteth in us the appetite of gluttony.

And another shooteth an arrow into our hands, which leadeth us on to deeds of rapine, and greed of the most excessive character.

And another shooteth an arrow into our feet, which moveth 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 armour of God, and the helmet of the Spirit.

With these ye shall be able to quench every fiery dart of the Evil One'

Let us hearken unto the voice of the prophet, which saith, ' He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good ;

and also that which God seeketh after at thy hands, to make thyself to perform judgement and righteousness.

And thou shalt love mercy, and to prepare to follow closely after the Lord thy God.'

Therefore let us forget the things which are behind, and reach forth unto those things which are before.

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 sheweth in respect of us!

Sometimes He appealeth to us, sometimes He threateneth us with the punishments,

and sometimes He teacheth us obedience, and He bestoweth 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 sakes.

He was made after the manner of a man for our sakes. He was suckled at the breast like a man.

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 sakes.

He suffered hunger. He slept, He slumbered for our sakes.

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 sakes.

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) saith, Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, (striving against sin).'

But ye shall 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 healiugs which we put aside and do not attempt and describe one by one.

And, as the fulfilment 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 hath called us ' strangers and sojourners ', 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 (Coptic reads: dog):

if we chase him away, he fleeth; and if we feed him, he will abide with thee.

It is for this reason that Aiakk6bos (James) said, 'Resist ye the j Devil, and he shall flee from you.'

Let us not think in our minds that we shall be able to repent in Amente,

for the medicine of repentance hath no effect in that place.

For although we shall gnash with our teeth, and our tongue shall be on fire, there shall be in that place none who shall dip his finger in water for us;

on the contrary, we ourselves shall 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 travellers 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 counselled us, saying, 'Dress yourselves in the bowels of mercies, and in goodness, and in humility'

In that place we shall have no need of gold, but we shall have need of the dropping of water.

We shall have no need of the leaves of trees and plants, but of the fruit thereof. We shall have no need of words, but of deeds.

For He (i. e., Christ) said, ' It is not every one who shall say unto Me, Lord, Lord, that shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who doeth the Will of My Father which (is) in heaven/

Let us therefore by no manner of means deceive ourselves.

And if any man shall 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 shall 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 burnetii, the soul cometh forth therefrom, and it existeth undestroyed.

In that world, even though the body rise up, and exist in an undestroyed form, the soul shall burn for all time.

And if it be necessary that sinners shall rise up, and exist in an undestroyed form, this shall 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 hath been heated to an unwonted degree, what will he do when he is delivered over to the river of fire which floweth 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 hath speech with us (to think us good), but it is impossible that we shall 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,' how much more is it right for us to weep over the temple of ourselves, which is exceedingly glorious,

and which, though it hath 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 thy soul.

Remember thou, then, that the time hath drawn nigh,

and that the Judge standeth at the door; the evening approacheth, and the day hath declined

No man remaineth asleep when once the night hath passed away, and the Sun hath risen.

Let us rise up out of the slumber of dreams, and let us make (or, bring forth) fruits worthy of repentance, even as it is written.

Repentance requireth 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 belongeth 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 hath not the healing of the daughter of my people increased?'

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 hath the power to destroy our soul and our body in Gehenna.

Come ye, let us flee into the sea of the mercy of God before the time of the torturings,

and let us say with the holy man David, ' Thou shalt wash me throughly therein, and I shall become whiter than the snow.'

The Good Shepherd standeth wishing to snatch away our souls from out of the mouth of the lion before he is able to devour them.

He crieth out unto us ourselves saying, 'My son, thou hast sinned; do not (sin) again'

And again He saith, Shall not he who falleth rise up again?

Or shall not he who hath gone astray turn again into the right way?'

And again He saith, 'Turn ye yourselves unto Me, My children (or, sons) who have wandered afar off, and I will heal your wounds of contrition.'

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'

The one thing for us to do is to repent.

For He saith, 'I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that he would turn himself from his evil way, and live'

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 loveth the soul which repenteth.

For though it hath committed fornication very many times, He crieth out unto it saying, ' And I spake unto her after she had committed fornication with all these (i. e., her lovers) saying, Return thou unto Me'

For the lovingkindness of God towards man is in this wise:

He never rejecteth him that setteth forth to come to Him with repentance.

And if he hath fallen into the ditch, and into evil, yet will He stretch out widely His hands to him saying, ' Turn thou to Me, and I will save thee'

And again, 'On that day wherein ye shall hear His voice, harden ye not your hearts.'

Doth 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 doth not treat him with contempt, neither doth he award him the just retribution for his disgraceful state, but he administereth unto him the medicine with gentleness.

How much more then shall 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 contendeth in the games is wont to fall down often, but in the end he riseth up, and receiveththe crown of victory.

So also is it with the soldier. After he hath been wounded (the physicians) heal him, and he wageth 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,

Fol. 19a col. 1 and they amass | riches.

Fol. 19a col. 1 and they amass | riches.

For the burning fire of Gehenna hath 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)

There is no sick man living who cannot be healed by the medicine of the Physician of our souls.

But perhaps thou wilt say, ' I certainly cannot attain unto perfection.'

If thou art not able to attain unto perfection, and if thou art not able to become like a sun, then make thyself to be like unto a star.

In any case transfer thyself from earth to heaven. Make thyself to be like a star which sendeth forth light.

It is very much better that thou shouldst do a few works which are good, than that thou shouldst do nothing at all.

Thou hast been informed concerning the cup of cold water, and concerning the visiting of those who are sick, and those who are in prison.

Moreover, if we shall be punished for our words and for our deeds,

how much more shall 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 for ever.

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 shall not see Him in a riddle, but we shall | 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 ariseth from humours and from heat, which after death turn into worms, and ashes, and corruption.

How much more, then, shall 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'

what shall happen unto us when we shall look upon the fullness of that glory?

If we ascribe blessings to those who are nigh 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 shall 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 thee, 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 : wouldst thou not endure all these things in order to reach that kingdom?

Thou shalt not say, I am already snared in my sins, and I am not able to turn myself to God/

for even if the Devil hath first of all cast us down headlong, let us rise up quickly.

For our God is a lover of mankind.

Whomsoever shall 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'

If the governor (of a city) taketh the greatest pains in order to be praised by those who are sitting in the theatre, notwithstanding 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 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 (βαλτασαρ) (escaped) through mercy.

The inhabitants of Nineveh escaped through the medicine of fasting.

The harlot reconciled God to her through her tears.

The thief became a citizen of the Paradise through faith

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 shall become whole and Heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee'

and the True Physician shall receive us to Himself. And He shall say, I, even I, am He Who blotteth out thy sin, and I will no more remember it'

Thou seest, 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 divers cuts and bruises.

Choose thou from among these that which thou wishest for the healing of thy soul.

If now thou art not able to perform mercy like Nebuchadnezzar (βαλτασαρ), nor to grieve in thy heart over thy sins like Ahab, and if thou art not able to fast like the inhabitants of Nineveh,

and if thou canst not wash away thy sins by means of thy tears like the harlot, flee thou to the foot of the Merciful, and thou thyself shalt say, with David, 'Have mercy upon me, O God, according to the greatness of Thy mercy.'

It is not a viper which hath 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 hath 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 Thy lovingkindness towards man.

Thou must, in any case, go to Him, and thou must make supplication to Him,

and He will graciously bestow upon thee the mercy of the Father, and the mercy which He spake saying, ' If the unrighteous man will turn from his evil way, I will no longer keep in remembrance all the iniquities which he hath committed.'

Nevertheless, thou must certainly shew Him thy wound, and thou shalt 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 Thy goodness.'

Do thou desire earnestly healing, and the Physician will be ready to heal thee at the earliest moment with His medicine.

For He who seeketh after thy salvation is He who brought back the sheep which had gone astray.

And He it is Who sendeth forth His servant into the highways to invite both the wicked and the good to the marriage feast.

Behold, He Himself will sell unto thee the kingdom which is in the heavens.

If thou art not able to buy it for copper (money), buy it for thyself with a little piece of bread, for He will sell thee the kingdom which is in the heavens for this.

Behold, the prophet cried out saying, Who is the man who is wishing for life, and who would see the days that are good? ' that is to say, to receive for yourselves a fine external appearance and the service of servants.

Now he who seeketh after that which is sold may not have with him the means (or, possessions) to give in exchange for it.

If (thou hast) not (these things), then give the innocence of thy soul, give fastings, give tears.

If thou hast nothing else whatsoever to give, then give the cessation of thy tongue from that which is evil, and the cessation of thy lips from speaking guile

This shall be the beginning of the salvation of thy soul ; but take good heed unto thyself.

If thou dost fast, guard thyself lest thy heart become proud;

if thou doest acts of mercy watch thyself that thou doest them not for the approbation of men.

Nay, more (than this). If the day of fasting shall cause thee to be regarded (by men) with close attention, thou shalt consider what it is which thou hast acquired for thyself through the fasting, lest thou find thyself to be on a lower level than before thou didst fast.

Moreover, observe what kind of sin it is which thou hast abandoned, or for what purpose thou hast abandoned it,

and what kind of success it is which thou hast acquired for thyself,

or what manner of defect it is which thou hast corrected through thy fasting.

See if thou hast made wrath to cease in thee, and if thou hast driven anger forth from thee.

See if thou hast cured thyself of thinking scorn of thy brother, and of uttering calumnies concerning him, and of feelings of hatred towards thy neighbours.

See if thou hast cured thyself of cursing and swearing, and if thou hast laid aside words of obscenity, or words of ribaldry, or words of lewdness.

See what manner of good thing* it is which thou hast gotten for thyself.

If thou hast abandoned (the eating of) bread overmuch, and of other kinds of food, but hast not abandoned passion, nor hast gotten for thyself spiritual excellences, in what way then hast thou benefited by the fasting?

Thou shalt 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 shall reward to each man according to his works.

For all these things shall be made manifest, and they shall all be put to the proof in that theatre wherein the whole world shall be gathered together.

In that Other World one man shall not be able to give help to another, and no man shall 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, shall 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) saith, ' If thou shalt mark carefully every iniquity, who is there that shall stand?

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 enquire 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?

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 speaketh 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 thou the Judge.

For behold, he (i. e., the Book) spake unto thee aforetime concerning the punishment so that thou mightest make thy escape from the danger.

If He were to command thee saying, Fast thou thou couldst find an excuse for not doing so in thy weakness.

If He were to say unto thee, 'Give money in charity thou couldst find an excuse for not doing so in thy poverty.

If He were to say unto thee, Collect nothing in this world thou couldst find an excuse in the necessity for providing for thy son.

But if He were to say unto thee, ' Be not angry, bear no malice against, have no hatred for, treat not with contumely him that is thy neighbour,' what wouldst thou reply in respect of these things?

Since, therefore, there is no apology for thee whatsoever, and there is no means of escape from these things in this respect, how wilt thou be able to lift up thy hands to heaven seeing that these things are in thy soul?

Moreover, on many occasions thou hast 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 thou hadst only to wait for the decision of the governor.

If a servant were to treat thee with insolence thou wouldst not thyself beat him, but wouldst make an accusation against him to his master.

How much more is it meet for thee to leave the matter unto Him Who said, 'Cast the judgement upon Me ; I will repay, saith God.'

Thou knowest, therefore, that it will be necessary for thee to take thy stand before the Awful Throne, where neither advocate nor possessions shall be able to assist thee,

and that thy soul shall come forth on the ' river of flame which floweth before the throne of Christ ',

even as the fathers say who have been in that place before thee.

Let the fountain of thy tears be in size according to the measure of the sins which thou hast committed.

If thy sins be few, then a little shedding of tears will suffice.

If thy transgression be great, then thou wilt have need of overwhelming torrents of tears.

If, however, thou thyself art free from sin, then shed thou thy tears on behalf of thy brother to a suitable degree, and weep with him for his sins.

The place through which sin entereth 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 thinketh he standeth look carefully lest he fall.'

Let him that is in a slippery place, and hath fallen, make haste to rise up (again), for he must not abandon himself to despair.

For it is written, ' God upholdeth those who fall'

And it happeneth that a man moveth sometimes a very little, according to that which and my feet would have moved ; and very little more and my steps would have slipped

And again, I say, My feet move; but Thy grace, O God, helpeth me.'

Then again, ' They thrust sore at me to make me fall, but God gave me [His] hand

He who hath fallen hath, in these ensamples, an encouragement not to allow himself to remain | in his fallen state, and he (i.e., the Book) saith, ' Shall not he that is in the habit of falling rise up again?

Watch, however, lest having heard of the goodness of God, thou becomest careless.

Verily it is written, God, the True Judge, is longsuffering and merciful';

and He receiveth (or, accepteth) the repentance of those who shall turn unto Him, as one Who loveth men.

But the Book saith, ' If ye will not turn yourselves He will sharpen His sword.'

Listen, for the Book saith l He will sharpen it

Now hitherto He hath not made use of it to smite, for He thought that when thou didst see Him sharpening His sword,

thou wouldst anticipate the passing of the sentence, and that fear would rouse thee up to repentance.

For the Book saith, He hath stretched His bow, He hath made it ready.'

Because thou hast 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 thou with him that goeth to law with thee Now the adversary, that is to say, he that fighteth with thee, is with thee at all times.

And that it is unlikely that thou wilt be able to rid thyself of him Paul teacheth thee saying, The flesh lusteth against our spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; these, moreover, war against each other.'

these, moreover, war against each other.'

Now the spirit warreth against the flesh, and it bringeth into subjection the lust of this world through the hope of the kingdom which is in the heavens.

The flesh itself warreth against the spirit, and it inclineth towards the earth and the pleasures thereof.