penitence.02 Chapter 1

Agree thou therefore with him that goeth to law with thee whilst he is with thee in the way;

for when the way hath come to an end, thou wilt no longer find another opportunity for repentance.

Watch thou then carefully lest he that goeth to law with thee give thee over into the hand of the Judge, and the Judge give thee over into the hand of the attendant, that is to say, the merciless powers which are over the punishments, and they cast thee into prison, that is to say, the outer darkness, until thou pay the uttermost kontrantes

Moreover, they shall judge thee not only for thy deeds, but also for thy thoughts and for thy motives.

Since, therefore, we know all these things, let us help ourselves.

When we shall have actual expei'ience of the punishments, then we shall know that bitter is pleasure, and then we shall 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 thou me not over unto those who would do violence unto me.'

For it is they who urge us on into sin straightway,

and it is they who shall be our accusers in the Day of Judgement.

It is not the Devil only, but all his angels also, who shall 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 shall be our sternest judge, and of that moment wherein we shall 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 loveth us ourselves, or because of his beauty.

But what other kind of beauty is there which can be compared with that which belongeth to our God?

even as David spake saying, 'He is fairer in His beauty than the children of men'

Moreover, who is there that doeth such good that he will prepare for those who love him the good things which the eye hath not seen, nor the ear heard of, nor hath the conception thereof entered into the hearts of men?

Moreover, who is there who hath loved us as our God and Father hath loved us?

He crieth out saying, 'Doth there exist a mother who forgetteth her son?

Or doth there exist a bride who shall forget the bridal adornments which have been given to her?

Or doth there exist a virgin who shall forget the girdle wherewith she bindeth herself? Yet I will not forget, saith God.

Consider now the blessed man David and how great was the | desire which he had to see God, for he said, 'When shall I come and appear before the face of my God?

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, thou thyself shalt love this (God) only, and thou shalt pass by all the works (or, affairs) of this life as if they were shadows.

Keep thou in remembrance at all times the life which shall be for ever,

and the kingdom which shall endure, and the existence with the choirs of angels, and the imperishable glory, and the living of the life with Christ, wherein there shall be no sorrow of heart whatsoever, for the Scripture saith, 'Sorrow of heart, and grief, and sighing, shall flee away.'

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 shall I come and appear before the face of my God?'

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 thou thyself hast the hope of enjoying such great delights as these, do not thou treat the matter (of thy life) with contempt.

Let thy lamp be kept burning every day, and be thou prepared to meet the Bridegroom

, so that thou thyself mayest hear (the words), 'Enter into the' joy of our God.'

It is right therefore for us to keep watch, and to pray at all times.

For if after God spake unto the Devil saying, 'Lay not thy hands upon My servant Job'

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 shall 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 doth not sleep, but keepeth watch the whole night long until he hath 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 keepeth watch all night guarding his flocks of sheep,

Even as the Patriarch Jacob spake saying, 'I was consumed by the fiery heat in the daytime, and by the cold of the night, and sleep departed from my eyes.'

And for what reason did he pass such long nights of vigil ? He did so because he said, f 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 hath 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 hath 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 shall be able to repent in that place (i. e., in the world to come).

For this same reason we shall be condemned to come forth from the body (which shall) 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 accuseth us, and chideth 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 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 thou desirest earnestly virginity, and thou dost keep the commandments, God will bestow it upon thee in full measure.

And if thou shalt say when thou prayest, ' Keep me, O God, as the apple of (Thine) eye,' He Himself shall say unto thee, 'Keep thou My words and My commandments as the apple of (thine) eye

When thou keepest His commandments, He Himself shall take care of thy soul, and thou shalt say concerning thyself, 'Whosoever toucheth thee shall be as one who toucheth the apple of His eye

And, O beloved, now that thou hast set thy hand to the plough, do not turn back, and thou shalt not become like a pillar of salt.

Let thy tongue speak at all times concerning the judgement which is to come, and make thou thyself to be useful, and thou shalt become a chosen man, through the fear of the place of judgement in the Other World.

Let neither anger have dominion over thee, 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 thy mouth, so that thine eye shall pass through all these things,

and thy speech shall be according to the Law of God.

Set thou the Giver of the Law before thine eyes at all times, and let Him continue to abide with thee, and let Him be unto thee a counsellor.

And if thou shalt see one who fareth delicately, and who enjoyeth himself in great riches, know thou that he shall wither suddenly like the grass of the field.

Let him fare delicately in his eatings and feastings, but do thou (nourish) thyself 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 thou, who art a man, shouldst gain the victory over desire?

Strive thou with all thy might to make thy members creatures of sacrifice, so that thou mayest conquer not only thy desire,

but also that thou mayest have rule over pride and wrath.

Let there be a measure set for (thy) tongue,

and take heed that thou dost not make thy conscience to pass sentence upon thee before the condemnation (or, judgement).

Remember thou that of necessity all our works shall be made manifest.

No man desireth that even one person shall see us in this world if we are to be put to shame;

then where shall 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 wisheth to become the bride of Jesus Christ guard carefully its innocence; for the tree is known by its fruit,

and 'the righteous man declareth the faith which is manifest

Remember thou at all times the good confession of Christ which hath entered into thy heart. Remember thou the last day. Make thou thyself secure on every side, especially in the matter of thy tongue,

for the Scripture saith, ' The tongue is that which polluteth the whole body '; when the body is polluted it is a necessity that the heart also should be corrupt therewith.

Therefore well hath Paul said, Men whose hearts are evil and ' evil words corrupt the hearts which are good

Seek thou after Paul, even as did the blessed woman Thekla, so that thou mayest hear the words of Paul.

Thou hast need of wings, and if thou hast no wings thou wilt find it vain to attempt to fly.

Let thine eyes look downwards upon the ground, but let thy heart be in the height of the heavens.

Thou hast need of great soberness (or, caution), for thine Adversary standeth against thee, and he is wary.

He was cast forth from the Paradise which was upon the earth, and he seeth thee now (as) thou enterest into heaven, and is not unmindful of it.

Hearken unto the word of him that saith, 'I wish that ye may be without care.'

Let there be no care whatsoever to thee about anything, except only that which concerneth the kingdom which is in the heavens.

If thou wishest to enter into heaven with the body, from the earth, subdue thou the flesh by means of fasting, and then thou shalt 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

Lift up thine eyes to the heavens, wherein is He Whom thou lovest, and thou shalt overcome passion by means of the love which is holy.

Prayer and faith shall help thee, and the Holy Scriptures shall give thee instruction, and thou shalt have from this world, according to (His) pledge to us, the rest which is in the heavens.

Abide not with a woman who shall make thee to offend, have no care for a child, and avoid thou the care which appertaineth to the rearing of a child.

Follow thou after thy God Who shall be the guide of thy heart into the kingdom which is in the heavens.

Follow thou after Him Who saith unto thee, ' If ye shall come to l Me in rectitude, I Myself will come to you in rectitude.

If thou wishest to be like unto Christ, follow thou in His footsteps ;

narrow is the gate and difficult, and it is (only) the righteous who enter in through it.

Hearken unto the blessed man Daniel, who saith, ' I Daniel was in sore grief for three weeks.

I ate no bread with desire, and neither flesh nor wine entered into my mouth.'

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 thee (examples) which have been prepared to instruct thee.

Thou shalt choose for thyself the citizenship which appertaineth. to heaven.

Fight thou the good fight of faith,6 and look eagerly beyond it to thy crown of righteousness,

and let thy career be strenuous.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God

Hast thou not observed the statues of the emperors, and noticed that some of them are large and beautifully adorned,

whilst others have become black through (the lapse of) time, and have decayed, and have become objects of derision?

Thus shall all our works appear in that other world which is to come, even as the statues.

Let us flee from that shame which shall be for ever,

and let us say, ' Guard me, O God, for in Thee have I set my hope ; Thou hast no need of good gifts

For He hath no need whatsoever of anything that belongeth to us, except only the salvation of our souls.

Therefore, let us offer ourselves as a living, holy sacrifice, as it is written, 'I am not to be propitiated with a burnt offering, but with mercy and patient endurance';

for He spake saying, 'He that shall endure patiently to the end shall be saved'

And again (the Book saith), He hath suffered for ever, he shall live to the I end.'

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, 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 shall be clean, and let us make our feet to walk in rectitude.

Create for thyself a citizenship which shall 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.

It doth 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 fadeth away, or even the sky itself.

Observe the exalted reputation of purity, for it entereth into everything.

And it is this of which Paul, the sponsor, spake saying, 'I would that ye should be without carefulness'

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 ;

thou seest the wound, and thou knowest what will heal it.

Fortify thou the windows of thy soul, and not only thine ears, and thine eyes, and thy mouth,

for these are the entrances through which the Evil One is wont to come in, even as it is written, 'Death hath entered in through your windows'

Let the commandments of holiness be upon thine eyes, and upon thine ears.

Let the Psalms be in thy mouth, and meditation on the Scriptures [in thy 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 thou, moreover, with that holy soul, ' I will go up into the palm tree, and I will lay hold of the height thereof 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 thou, however, good heed unto thyself, lest there be thorns in the palm tree, that is to say, admonishings, when thou art driven to follow after sin,

for the Book saith, ' The words of the wise are as ox-goads, and as the nails which are sharp '—so that whilst these remain fixed in thy heart thou shalt abstain from every sin.

Now the Book saith, ' Lay hold upon the height thereof/ in order that thou mayest be above the sky, and be able to bear the temptations which shall come upon thee.

From time to time, and at all times, rehearse the Holy | Scriptures,

for as the wine which men drink assuageth grief, and changeth the sadness of the heart into joy, even so doth the spiritual wine which is distributed throughout the Scriptures make the soul which hath partaken thereof to rejoice.

Let the remembrance of God be in thy heart at all times, and thou thyself shalt say with David, I see God face to face at all times ; He is on (my) right hand, therefore shall I never be moved

Let these words be written on thy hands, and fixed firmly before thine eyes.

If thou wilt ascribe glory to God by reason of His commandments, He shall be on thy right hand;

if thou treat Him with contempt through thy transgressions, the Devil shall be on thy right hand.

For thus doth the Scripture bear witness concerning Judas who made himself to be an assistant (of the Devil): ' Let the Devil stand on his right hand'

Ascribe thou glory unto God at all times, and say, I will exalt Thee, O my God and King'';

thou shalt glorify Him through thy works, and not through thy words only.

In this wise did David ascribe glory to God, and he said, ' I will bless Thee for ever, and for ever and ever (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 thou wilt 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

And again, it is even as David spake saying, ' Cleanse me, O God, from my secret (sins)

And our heart must be like unto that which the Saviour commanded us to make for ourselves saying, Blessed are those who are pure in their hearts, for they shall see God

Thus is it with the man who committeth no sin against God,

and who ascribeth glory to God through his words and through his works.

And if there cometh upon such a man who doeth such things sickness, or poverty, or death,

he shall not fall into despair, but he shall say with Paul, ' Who shall separate us from the love of God ?' and the words which follow these.

Remember thou the day, that Awful Day, which shall be filled with quaking,

and that moment when we shall take our stand before the Holy Throne, and shall have to defend every deed which we have done in this world, and when all the sins which we have committed shall be made to appear before the eyes of every one,

and when there shall be revealed again to us those things which we had forgotten.

In that place shall there be the river of fire, and the worm which is deathless.

Remember that moment when the books of our hearts shall be opened, when they shall unroll them and read them aloud in the midst of the theatre of that Other World.

Then shall 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, shall 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 shall reveal the things which are hidden in the darkness, Who shall make manifest the counsels of hearts, and Who shall try our works, and our l thoughts, and our words.

In (that) hour we shall receive a great punishment for the sins which we have committed, and which we imagined were few.

Keep thou in thy remembrance at every hour the flame of Gehenna which cannot be quenched, and forget it not.

And set thou at all times before thine eyes the Judge, Who shall 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 thine ears hear beforehand the sound of the trumpets, and the awful voice of that Judge,

and let thine eyes see beforehand the things which are ordained to take place.

Now there shall 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, shall 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 sleepeth 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 Fol. 48 b col. 1 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 spake.

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 hath 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 shall hear (spoken the words), 'I know you not; whence are ye?

because they did in the course of their works things which were an abomination to Christ.

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 mine eyes?

I will weep for my sins by day and by night, so that I may be able to flee from the punishment which shall 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 saith, 'Who shall give thanks unto Thee in Amente?'

Moreover, let us consider this, O beloved. God hath made for us all the members of our material body double,

for He hath bestowed upon us two eyes, two ears, two hands, and two feet.

If it should happen that one of these (pairs) becometh disabled through sickness, we are able to relieve our wants by (using) the other.

The soul, however, which hath been made for us is one only, and if we destroy it through carelessness, by what manner of means shall 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 thou shalt say at that time to the Judge, ' The possessions of this world outwitted me'

He 'Who judgeth shall make answer unto thee saying, Didst thou then not hear Me when I cried out to thee, In what shall a man be benefited if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul?'

Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

And He shall say unto thee, moreover, ' Eve profited nothing when she said, 'The serpent deceived me.'

Further, O my brethren, let us set these things in our hearts.

Come ye, let us rise up of ourselves with glad readiness.

Come ye, let us ascribe glory to God, before the darkness cometh, and before there cometh upon us that great and shining day,

concerning which the Prophet spake saying, ' Behold, God cometh!

Who shall be able to abide the day in which He cometh?

That day shall 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 thou wilt say, 'Who shall be able to escape all these things?'

Hearken, it is I who will tell thee.

Now thou must not imagine that thou wilt escape merely by keeping thy body in a state of purity; on the contrary (these things also must thou do).

Whensoever any man doeth unto thee that which is evil thou must do unto him that which is good in return.

Whensoever men make false accusations against thee thou must continue to lead a well-ordered life.

Whensoever men curse (or, revile) thee, thou must bless them in return.

Whensoever thou shalt fast thou shalt not be puffed up thereby, for it is not thine abstinence from eating only which is true fasting, but also thine 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, which indicated that he who will not lay hold on the rod

Moreover, in this same manner did Moses teach the people, with a pillar of light and a pillar of fire. He cried out unto every one saying-, He who will hearken to the Law shall have the enjoyment of the light which is true and pleasant, and he who will not hearken shall be delivered over to the fire.'

Read ye the Gospels, and ye shall know that when we shall go forth from this world there is nothing whatsoever which will help us.

No brother shall be able to set free (another) brother from the punishment which never endeth, and no friend shall be able to help his friend;

neither shall 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, would be able to set free either son or daughter.

Now many times thou wilt say to me, 'What is the proof of these words?

(I will tell thee.) Consider the man who had not on him the wedding garment, and observe that, after they had cast him forth from the bridal chamber,

there was not one of those that sat at meat who interceded for him.

Consider, moreover, the servant unto whom the talent 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, 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

they had forgotten to observe the little commandment which inculcated charity.

Think of the Judge Who setteth the sheep on His right hand, and the unfruitful goats on His left. Unto those who are on His right hand He saith, ' Come ye, and inherit the kingdom

and those who are on (His) left He Himself casteth 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 saith, ' Behold the man and his work'

Behold, hast thou 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?

And thou sawest 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 cometh, 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 cometh 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 shall be in the place of jiidgement in the Other World which is to come, wherein we shall 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? Now we know that all the works of the world are like unto dreams, and that they all pass away into destruction.

For sickness bringeth to nought the strength of the body, and even the beauty of the bodily form decayeth through old age.

And even if we enjoy (the sight of) a table heaped high with food, when the evening cometh we forget the pleasures thereof.

And in short, everything which is in this world becometh like unto the web of the spider, and like unto 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 thee forth from thy country and come forth from our iniquity?

And let us pray with the holy man David, and say unto God, ' I will bless Thee seven times in the day because of the judgement of Thy righteousness'

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 converteth him that meeteth with him to that which is excellent, how much more will he be benefited who holdeth 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 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 thou shalt die in thy members which are upon the earth, and (remember) that the day of God shall come like a thief.

When those who are to bear away thy soul shall come after thee thou wilt say, ' Be merciful unto me, for I will fast, I will do deeds of mercy, I will repent.'

And they shall say unto thee, c Didst thou, then, not hear God Who cried out saying, 'The kingdom which is in the heavens hath drawn nigh?'

Didst thou, then, not hear Him when He spake saying, 'Shew mercy, and I will shew mercy unto you?

Didst thou, then, not hear Paul saying, 'Whilst we have time with us let us do the thing which is good?'

He who desireth salvation hath 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 thou give thy tears.

He Who said, I would that all men should be saved,' is no liar; for this reason He teacheth 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.

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.

or 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 thee no harm whatsoever, nay, on the contrary, thou wilt benefit thyself 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 hath tasted sin, it will continue in a state of unconsciousness, and will go on adding greatly to the sickness of sin.

For as when thou hast once kindled a fire it burneth 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 obtaineth the mastery over the reasoning power of the soul, and then destroyeth 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 floweth 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 saith, ' The things which are seen are those that are for a time, whilst the things which are not seen are those which are for ever'

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 shall be able to acquire any of these for ourselves, when we shall go forth from this life.

For he who striveth in the contest receiveth not the crown if he abandoneth the contest; therefore let us seize and carry off the crown, and we shall thus escape disgrace and loss.

Now the Scripture saith, 'He whose possessions are consumed with fire shall suffer loss'

Now what kind of burning with fire is that which shall 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 thy heart, and guard thou thy soul and keep in virgin state until the Bridegroom cometh in His glory.

And do thou sing psalms saying, ' My soul is in thy hands at all times' I do not forget Thy Law.'

And say, 'Thou art He Who doth deliver me from the snare of the hunter.'

Let thy lamp be burning, and permit not thyself to fall asleep.

And if slumber be sweet to thee in the night season, yet know thou that there is nothing sweeter than the Psalms.

For the holy man (David) said, 'Thy words are sweeter in my throat than honey in the mouth.'

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 thee to be a hardship if thou hast to sleep upon the ground.

If thy mouth is wont to become foul and bitter through fasting, (remember that) He Who created the sweetness in the honey tasted gall for thy sake.

Although thou mayest weep occasionally for thy sins, thou hast not as yet done as Paul did, who wept for the salvation of others.

Let us address each other in these words : 'Suffering endureth only for a short time, but the Resurrection (or, Rest) is for eternity.'

Vanquish suffering by means of hope.

For the Scripture saith, ' Tribulation worketh patience, and patience hope, and hope giveth birth to shamefacedness.'

Consider, moreover, that pleasure (endureth) only for a short time, and that punishment lasteth for ever.

Excuse thyself 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 thyself and let him not transfix thee with the arrow of the appetite of the belly.

For thou knowest 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 thyself to the sufferings of those who were there, and flee thou from their fall.

If God did not give His people who were there [water] to drink, He will not give thee (water) to drink if thou practise carelessness.

If thou shalt strive in the contest with thy whole heart, in perfect faith, thou shalt 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 thou them, and fulfil thou them, so that the Holy Trinity may be glorified through thee, Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, henceforward, and always, for all ages of ages. Amen.

Apa John, Archbishop