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CHAPTER 1. If someone wishes to prepare a fragrant incense, he shall combine transparent frankincense, cassia, onycha, and stacte in equal parts according to the law. These are the tetrad of the virtues; for if they are most complete and equal, the intellect will not be betrayed.

CHAPTER 2. The soul, having been purified through the fullness of the virtues, establishes the unshakeable order of the intellect, making it receptive to the state which is sought.

CHAPTER 3. Prayer is the converse of the intellect with God; what state, then, does the intellect need, so that it may be still, to be raised up unswervingly toward its own Master, and to converse with Him with nothing mediating?

CHAPTER 4. If Moses, when he tried to approach the burning bush on the earth, is prevented until he removes the sandal from his feet, how can you, who wish to see the One who is beyond all thought and sensation, and to become His companion in conversation, not remove from yourself every passionate thought?

CHAPTER 5. First, pray for the gift of tears, so that through mourning you may soften the savagery that is in your soul, and having confessed your lawlessness against yourself to the Lord, you may obtain forgiveness from Him. 79.1169

CHAPTER 6. Make use of tears for the attainment of every request; for your Master greatly rejoices when He receives prayer with tears.

CHAPTER 7. If you pour forth fountains of tears in your prayer, do not be exalted in yourself at all, as though you were above the many; for your prayer has received help, so that you may be able to confess your sins eagerly, and to propitiate the Master through your tears.

CHAPTER 8. Do not, therefore, turn the remedy for the passions into a passion, lest you further provoke Him who has given the grace; many, while weeping for their sins, having forgotten the purpose of tears, went mad and were driven out of their minds.

CHAPTER 9. Stand with toil, and pray with vigor, and turn away from the assaults of cares and thoughts; for they trouble and disturb you, in order to slacken your intensity.

CHAPTER 10. When the demons see that you are eager to pray truly, then they suggest thoughts of certain supposedly necessary things, and shortly after they take away the memory of them, moving the intellect to search for them, and when it does not find them, it is greatly grieved and disheartened; but when it stands to pray, they remind it of the things sought and brought to mind, so that the intellect, becoming slackened toward the knowledge of them, may lose its fruitful prayer. CHAPTER 11. Strive to make your intellect stand, during the time of prayer, deaf and dumb, and you will be able to pray.

CHAPTER 12. Whenever a temptation meets you, or a contradiction, or it provokes you, either to move your anger to hostile defense, or to break forth with some cry, remember prayer and the judgment concerning it; and immediately the disorderly movement within you will be still.

CHAPTER 13. Whatever you do in retaliation against a brother who has wronged you, all of it will become a stumbling block to you at the time of prayer.

CHAPTER 14. Prayer is the offspring of meekness and freedom from anger. CHAPTER 15. Prayer is the fruit of joy and thanksgiving. 79.1172 CHAPTER 16. Prayer is the remedy for grief and despondency.

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ΚΕΦΑΛ. Αʹ. Εἴ τις βούλοιτο εὐῶδες θυμίαμα σκευάσαι, τὸν διαφανῆ λίβανον, καὶ τὴν κασσίαν καὶ τὸν ὄνυχα, καὶ τὴν στάκτην ἐξίσου συνθήσει κατὰ τὸν νόμον. Ταῦτα δέ ἐστιν ἡ τετρὰς τῶν ἀρετῶν· ἐὰν γὰρ πληρέσταται, καὶ ἴσαι τυγχάνωσιν, οὐ προδοθήσεται ὁ νοῦς.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Βʹ. Καθαρθεῖσα ψυχὴ διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν πληρότητος ἀκλόνητον τὴν τάξιν τοῦ νοῦ κατασκευάζει, δεκτικὸν αὐτὸν ποιοῦσα τῆς ζητουμένης καταστάσεως.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Γʹ. Ἡ προσευχὴ, ὁμιλία ἐστὶ νοῦ πρὸς Θεόν· ποίας οὖν δεῖται καταστάσεως ὁ νοῦς, ἵνα ἡσυχάσῃ ἀμεταστρόφως ἐκσταθῆναι πρὸς τὸν οἰκεῖον ∆εσπότην, καὶ συνομιλεῖν αὐτῷ μηδενὸς μεσιτεύοντος;

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ∆ʹ. Εἰ τῇ ἐπὶ γῆς βάτῳ φλεγομένῃ προσεγγίσαι πειράσας Μωϋσῆς κωλύεται, ἄχρις οὗ λύσει τὸ ὑπόδημα τῶν ποδῶν, πῶς αὐτὸς τὸν ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν ἔννοιαν καὶ αἴσθησιν ἰδεῖν βουλόμενος, καὶ συνόμιλος αὐτῷ γενέσθαι, οὐ λύεις ἐκ σοῦ πᾶν νόημα ἐμπαθές;

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Εʹ. Πρότερον περὶ λήψεως δακρύων προσεύχου, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ πένθους μαλάξῃς τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ σου ἀγριότητα, καὶ ἐξαγορεύσας κατὰ σοῦ τὴν ἀνομίαν σου τῷ Κυρίῳ, παρ' αὐτοῦ ἀφέσεως τεύξῃ. 79.1169

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ςʹ. Κέχρησο τοῖς δάκρυσι πρὸς παντὸς αἰτήματος κατόρθωσιν· λίαν γὰρ χαίρει σου ὁ ∆εσπότης ἐν δάκρυσι προσευχὴν δεχόμενος.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ζʹ. Ἐὰν πηγὰς δακρύων ἐκχέῃς ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ σου, μηδαμῶς ἐπαίρου ἐν σεαυτῷ, ὡς ὑπὲρ τοὺς πολλοὺς ὤν· βοήθειαν γὰρ προσείληφεν ἡ προσευχή σου, ἵνα δυνηθῇς προθύμως ἐξαγορεύειν σου τὰς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ ἐξευμενίσασθαι τὸν ∆εσπότην διὰ τῶν δακρύων.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ηʹ. Μὴ οὖν εἰς πάθος τρέψῃ τὸ τῶν παθῶν ἀλέξημα, ἵνα μὴ πλέον παροργίσῃς τὸν δεδωκότα τὴν χάριν· πολλοὶ δακρύοντες ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν, ἐπιλαθόμενοι τοῦ τῶν δακρύων σκοποῦ, μανέντες ἐξεπλάγησαν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Θʹ. Στῆθι ἐμπόνως, καὶ προσεύχου εὐτόνως, καὶ ἀποστρέφου τὰς τῶν φροντίδων καὶ διαλογισμῶν ἐπιτεύξεις· ταράττουσι γὰρ καὶ θορυβοῦσί σε, ἵνα ἐκλύσωσι τοῦ τόνου.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ιʹ. Ὅταν ἴδωσιν οἱ δαίμονες προθυμούμενόν σε ἀληθῶς προσεύξασθαι, τότε ὑποτίθενται νοήματά τινων πραγμάτων δῆθεν ἀναγκαίων, καὶ μετὰ βραχὺ ἐπαίρουσι τὴν περὶ αὐτῶν μνήμην, κινοῦντες τὸν νοῦν πρὸς ζήτησιν αὐτῶν, καὶ ὡς μὴ εὑρίσκων σφόδρα λυπεῖται, καὶ ἀθυμεῖ· ἡνίκα δὲ στῇ εἰς προσευχὴν, ὑπομιμνήσκουσιν αὐτὸν τῶν ζητηθέντων, καὶ μνημονευθέντων, ἵνα χαυνωθεὶς ὁ νοῦς πρὸς γνῶσιν αὐτῶν ἀπολέσῃ τὴν εὔκαρπον προσευχήν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΑʹ. Ἀγωνίζου στῆσαι τὸν νοῦν σου, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς προσευχῆς κωφὸν, καὶ ἄλαλον, καὶ δυνήσῃ προσεύξασθαι.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΒʹ. Ἡνίκα ἀπαντήσει σοι πειρασμὸς, ἢ ἀντιλογία, ἢ ἐρεθίσῃ, ἢ πρὸς τὴν δι' ἐναντίας ἄμυναν κινῆσαι θυμὸν, ἢ ῥῆξαι φωνήν τινα, μνήσθητι τῆς προσευχῆς καὶ τοῦ κατ' αὐτὴν κρίματος· καὶ εὐθέως ἡ ἔν σοι ἄτακτος κίνησις ἠρεμήσει.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΓʹ. Ὅσα ἂν ποιήσῃς πρὸς ἄμυναν ἀδελφοῦ ἠδικηκότος σε, ἅπαντα εἰς σκάνδαλόν σοι γενήσεται ἐν καιρῷ προσευχῆς.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ι∆ʹ. Προσευχή ἐστι πραότητος καὶ ἀοργησίας βλάστημα. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΕʹ. Προσευχή ἐστι χαρᾶς καὶ εὐχαριστίας πρόβλημα. 79.1172 ΕΦΑΛ. Ιςʹ. Προσευχή ἐστι λύπης καὶ ἀθυμίας ἀλέξημα.