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9. But if you are terribly tyrannized by vainglory and the praise of men, you ought to do nothing for the display of men, but to do all your work in secret, with no one else knowing, but God alone; and do not love the praises, nor the honors of men, nor fine garments, nor preference, and the first seat; but rather love that men should censure you, and accuse and dishonor you falsely; and hold yourself to be more sinful than every sinner. 10. But if you see yourself warred against by the demonic passion of the most wicked pride, you ought to revile no one, nor judge, nor despise at all, but to consider yourself the offscouring of all, and to constantly consider that unless the Lord builds 95.84 the house, they who build have labored in vain; and to always consider yourself a debtor, and to be despised before God and all men. And be not confident, until you receive the sentence; seeing that one, who even after reclining in the bridal chamber, was bound hand and foot, and exiled into eternal darkness; but even if you fast, even if you keep vigil, even if you sleep on the ground, even if you chant psalms, even if you persevere, even if you make many prostrations, even if you do some other good thing, do not say that it has happened from my own labor, or from my own zeal, but it happens from God's help and assistance, and not from my diligence. Strive always, brother, to be ever simple and blameless; and do not have one thing in your heart, and another in your mouth; for this is deceitful; and pray continually with tears; and by so doing you will be delivered from the destructive and evil transgression. Of the passions, some are of the body, and some are of the soul; and of the body we say are gluttony, fornication, drunkenness, licentiousness. But of the soul are hatred toward the neighbor, envy, strife, vainglory, pride. And these are active in our soul, in the absence of love and self-control; but by fasting and vigilance. For then the mind both receives its own light, and sees God without hindrance.

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θʹ. Εἰ δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς κενοδοξίας καὶ τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπαίνου δεινῶς τυραννῇ, ὀφείλεις μηδὲν πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐργασίαν σου ποιεῖν ἐν κρυπτῷ, μηδενὸς ἄλλου εἰδότος, ἢ τοῦ Θεοῦ μόνου· καὶ μὴ ἀγάπα τοὺς ἐπαίνους, μηδὲ τὰς τιμὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, μηδὲ τὰ καλὰ ἱμάτια, μηδὲ τὴν προτίμησιν, καὶ τὴν πρωτοκαθεδρίαν· μᾶλλον δὲ ἀγάπα ἵνα σε ψέγωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ κατηγορῶσι καὶ ἀτιμάζωσι ψευδόμενοι· καὶ ἔχε ἑαυτὸν παντὸς ἁμαρτωλοῦ ἁμαρτωλότερον. ιʹ. Εἰ δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ δαιμονιώδους πάθους τῆς κακίστης ὑπερηφανίας σεαυτὸν ὁρᾷς πολεμούμενον, ὀφείλεις μηδένα λοιδορῆσαι, ἢ κρῖναι, ἢ ἐξουδενῶσαι τὸ σύνολον, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν περίψημα πάντων λογίζεσθαι, καὶ ἐννοεῖν συνεχῶς, ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ Κύριος οἰκοδομήσῃ 95.84 οἶκον, εἰς μάτην ἐκοπίασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες· καὶ πάντοτε χρεωφειλέτην λογίζεσθαι ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ἐξουθενεῖν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ πάντων ἀνθρώπων. Καὶ μὴ θάρσει, ἕως οὗ τὴν ἀπόφασιν δέξῃ· ὁρῶν ἐκεῖνον, τὸν καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐν νυμφῶνι κατάκλισιν, χεῖρας καὶ πόδας δεσμούμενον, καὶ εἰς τὸ σκότος αἰώνιον ἐξοριζόμενον· ἀλλὰ κἂν νηστεύῃς, κἂν ἀγρυπνῇς, κἂν χαμαικοιτῇς, κἂν ψάλλῃς, κἂν διαμονῇς, κἂν μετανοίας πολλὰς ποιῇς, κἂν ἄλλο τι καλὸν ποιῇς, μὴ λέγου, ὅτι ἐξ ἰδίου μου κόπου, ἢ ἀπὸ ἰδίας προθυμίας γεγένηται, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς Θεοῦ βοηθείας καὶ ἀντιλήψεως γίνεται, καὶ οὐχὶ ἐκ τῆς ἐμῆς σπουδῆς. Σπούδασον πάντοτε, ἀδελφὲ, ἵνα ὑπάρχῃς ἀεὶ ἁπλοῦς καὶ ἄμωμος· καὶ μὴ ἔχε ἄλλα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, ἄλλα ἐν τῷ στόματί σου· τοῦτο γὰρ δόλιόν ἐστι· καὶ συνεχῶς μετὰ δακρύων προσεύχου· καὶ οὕτω ποιῶν ἀπαλλαγήσῃ τοῦ ὀλεθρίου καὶ πονηροῦ παραπτώματος. Τῶν παθῶν, τὰ μέν ἐστι σωματικὰ, τὰ δὲ ψυχικά· καὶ σωματικὰ μὲν λέγομεν, γαστριμαργίαν, πορνείαν, μέθην, ἀσέλγειαν. Ψυχικὰ δὲ, μῖσος πρὸς τὸ πλησίον, φθόνον, ἔριν, κενοδοξίαν, ὑπερηφανίαν. Αὐτὰ δὲ ἐνεργοῦσιν εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν ψυχὴν, ἀπούσης ἀγάπης καὶ ἐγκρατείας· τὰ δὲ ὑπὸ νηστείας καὶ ἀγρυπνίας. Τότε γὰρ ὁ νοῦς καὶ τὸ οἰκεῖον φῶς ἀπολαμβάνει, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἀπαρεμποδίστως ὁρᾷ.