6

Again our evil co-sharer comes, claiming today for himself, but tomorrow for the Lord; and so, always stealing the present for pleasure, and leaving the future to our hopes, he imperceptibly leads us astray from life. I once saw such cunning in a resourceful bird. For while its young were easy to catch because of their tenderness, putting itself forward as ready prey and fluttering in the hands of the hunters, it was neither easy for the hunters to catch, nor did it cause them to despair 31.440 of the hunt; but by holding them in suspense with varied hopes, through the preoccupation with itself, it secured for its nestlings the freedom to escape, and then finally it too flew away with them. Fear lest you also suffer similar things, giving up what is manifest for hopes of things unseen. Come then to me, transfer your whole self to the Lord; give over your name; be enrolled with the Church.

A soldier is counted in the rolls; an athlete competes having been registered; a citizen, having been enrolled, is counted among the tribesmen. You are liable for all these things, as a soldier of Christ, as an athlete of piety, as one having his citizenship in heaven. Be enrolled in this book, so that you may be transferred to the one above. Learn, be taught the evangelical life, precision of the eyes, continence of the tongue, mastery of the body, a humble mind, purity of thought, the annihilation of anger. When compelled, add more; when deprived, do not go to law; when hated, love; when persecuted, endure; when blasphemed, exhort. Be dead to sin; be crucified with Christ; transfer all your love to the Lord. But these things are difficult. What good thing is easy? Who has set up a trophy while sleeping? Who, living in luxury and to the sound of flutes, has been adorned with the crowns of endurance? No one who has not run has won the prize. Labors beget glory, toils procure crowns. Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of heaven, I too say; but the blessedness in the kingdom of heaven awaits these tribulations; but the painful and gloomy state of Gehenna awaits the toils of sin. But indeed, to one who considers it accurately, not even the works of the devil come to the workers of iniquity without toil. What are the sweats of self-control? But the one who fornicates is covered in sweat, as pleasure consumes him.

What does self-control take away from the body so much as loathsome and raging licentiousness corrupts it? The nights of those who keep vigil in prayers are sleepless; but far more difficult are those of the ones who stay awake for injustices. For both the fear of being detected and the frenzy for pleasures completely drive away all rest. But if, fleeing the narrow way that leads to salvation, you pursue the broad way of sin, I am afraid lest, having journeyed the wide road to the end, you find the lodging that follows that road. But the treasure is hard to guard. And keep watch, brother. You have helpers, if you wish: prayer that keeps watch by night, fasting that guards the house, psalmody that comforts the soul. Take these with you. Let them keep watch with you over the guard-posts of the 31.441 precious things. What is better, tell me, for us who are rich to be anxious about guarding precious things, or not even to have anything at all to guard? No one rejects good things for fear of deprivation. For thus nothing of human affairs would have been established, if in each of our endeavors we considered the failures. For crop failure accompanies agriculture, shipwrecks accompany commerce, widowhoods accompany marriages, childlessness accompanies child-rearing. But nevertheless we undertake our tasks, relying on better hopes, and entrusting the outcome of what is hoped for to the God who orders our affairs. But you, in word, revere sanctification; in deed, however, you linger in condemned things. See that you not

6

πάλιν ἔρχεται ὁ κακὸς συμμεριστὴς ἡμῶν, ἀξιῶν τὴν σήμερον ἑαυτῷ, τὴν δὲ αὔριον τῷ Κυρίῳ· καὶ οὕτως ἀεὶ τὸ μὲν παρὸν δι' ἡδονῆς ὑφαιρούμενος, τὸ δὲ μέλλον ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἡμῶν προσαφιεὶς, λανθάνει ἡμᾶς ἀποβουκολῶν τῆς ζωῆς. Τοιαύτην εἶδον ἐγώ ποτε πανουργίαν ὄρνιθος εὐμηχάνου. Εὐαλώτων γὰρ αὐτῇ τῶν νεοττῶν ὑπαρ χόντων δι' ἁπαλότητα, ἑαυτὴν προβαλλομένη ὡς ἕτοιμον θήραμα, καὶ ταῖς χερσὶ τῶν ἀγρευόντων ἐνστρεφομένη, οὔτε ἁλώσιμος ἦν ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου τοῖς θηρευταῖς, οὔτε ἀπόγνωσιν αὐτοῖς ἐνεποίει 31.440 τῆς ἄγρας· ἀλλὰ ταῖς ἐλπίσιν αὐτοὺς ποικίλως πα ρακατέχουσα, τῇ περὶ ἑαυτὴν ἀσχολίᾳ, τοῖς νεοσσοῖς τὴν ἄδειαν τῆς φυγῆς προεξένησεν, εἶτα τὸ τελευ ταῖον καὶ αὐτὴ συναπέπτη. Φοβήθητι μὴ καὶ σὺ τὰ παραπλήσια πάθῃς, ἐν ταῖς περὶ τῶν ἀδήλων ἐλπίσι τὰ φανερὰ προϊέμενος. ∆εῦρο δὴ οὖν μοι, ὅλον σεαυ τὸν μετάθες ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον· ἐπίδος σεαυτοῦ τὴν ὀνομασίαν· καταγράφηθι μετὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας.

Ὁ στρατιώτης καταλόγοις ἐναριθμεῖται· ὁ ἀθλητὴς ἐν απογραψάμενος ἀγωνίζεται· ὁ δημότης πολιτο γραφηθεὶς τοῖς φυλέταις ἐναριθμεῖται. Πᾶσι τούτοις ὑπεύθυνος εἶ, ὡς στρατιώτης Χριστοῦ, ὡς ἀθλητὴς εὐσεβείας, ὡς τὸ πολίτευμα ἔχων ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Ἀπο γράφηθι ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ βίβλῳ, ἵνα μεταγραφῇς εἰς τὴν ἄνω. Μάθε, διδάχθητι εὐαγγελικὴν πολιτείαν, ὀφθαλμῶν ἀκρίβειαν, γλώσσης ἐγκράτειαν, σώματος δουλαγωγίαν, φρόνημα ταπεινὸν, ἐννοίας καθαρότητα, ὀργῆς ἀφανισμόν. Ἀγγαρευόμενος προστίθει· ἀπο στερούμενος μὴ δικάζου· μισούμενος ἀγάπα· διω κόμενος ἀνέχου· βλασφημούμενος παρακάλει. Νε κρώθητι τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· συσταυρώθητι τῷ Χριστῷ· ὅλην τὴν ἀγάπην μετάθες ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον. Ἀλλὰ χα λεπὰ ταῦτα. Τί δὲ τῶν ἀγαθῶν εὔκολον; Τίς καθ εύδων τρόπαιον ἔστησε; Τίς τρυφῶν καὶ καταυλού μενος τοῖς τῆς καρτερίας στεφάνοις κατεκοσμήθη; Οὐδεὶς μὴ δραμὼν ἀνείλετο τὸ βραβεῖον. Πόνοι γεν νῶσι δόξαν, κάματοι προξενοῦσι στεφάνους. ∆ιὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων δεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βα σιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, φημὶ κἀγώ· ἀλλὰ ταύ τας μὲν τὰς θλίψεις ἡ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν μακαριότης ἐκδέχεται· τοὺς δὲ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καμά τους τὸ τῆς γεέννης ἐπίπονον καὶ σκυθρωπὸν ἀνα μένει. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἀκριβῶς σκοποῦντι, οὐδὲ τὰ τοῦ διαβόλου ἔργα τοῖς ἐργάταις τῆς ἀνομίας ἀκμητὶ παραγίνεται. Ποῖοι ἱδρῶτες τῆς σωφροσύνης; Ὁ δὲ πορνεύων καθίδρως ἐστὶ, τῆς ἡδονῆς αὐτὸν ἐκτηκού σης.

Τί τοσοῦτον ὑφαιρεῖ τοῦ σώματος ἡ ἐγκρά τεια, ὅσον ἡ βδελυρὰ καὶ λυσσώδης ἀκολασία δια φθείρει; Νύκτες δὲ ἄϋπνοι τῶν διανυκτερευόντων ἐν προσευχαῖς· ἀλλὰ πολλῷ χαλεπώτεραι τῶν ἐπαγρυ πνούντων ταῖς ἀδικίαις. Ὅ τε γὰρ φόβος τοῦ φωραθήσεσθαι, καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ ταῖς ἡδοναῖς οἶστρος πᾶσαν ἀνάπαυσιν παντελῶς ἀπελαύνει. Εἰ δὲ, φεύγων τὸ στενὸν τῆς ἐπὶ σωτηρίαν φερούσης, τὸ εὐρύχωρον διώκεις τῆς ἁμαρτίας, φοβοῦμαι μὴ, μέχρι τέλους τὴν πλατεῖαν ὁδεύσας, ἀκόλουθον εὕρῃς τῇ ὁδῷ τὸ κατάλυμα. Ἀλλὰ δυσφύλακτος ὁ θησαυρός. Καὶ ἐπαγρύπνησον, ἀδελφέ. Ἔχεις συνεργοὺς, ἐὰν θέλῃς, προσευχὴν νυκτοφυλακοῦσαν, νηστείαν οἰκουροῦσαν, ψαλμῳδίαν ψυχαγωγοῦσαν. Ταύτας συμπαράλαβε. Αὗται συναγραυλείτωσάν σοι ἐπὶ τὰς φυλακὰς τῶν 31.441 τιμίων. Τί βέλτιον, εἰπέ μοι, πλουτοῦντας ἡμᾶς ὑπὲρ τῆς φυλακῆς τῶν τιμίων ἀγωνιᾷν, ἢ μηδὲ ἔχειν τὴν ἀρχὴν ὃ φυλάξωμεν; Οὐδεὶς φόβῳ τῶν στερήσεων τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἀπωθεῖται. Οὕτω γὰρ ἂν οὐδὲν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων συνέστη, εἰ ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν σπουδαζομένων τὰς ἀποτυχίας ἐλογιζόμεθα. Παράκειται γὰρ τῇ γεωργίᾳ μὲν ἡ ἀφορία, ταῖς ἐμπορίαις δὲ τὰ ναυάγια, τοῖς γάμοις αἱ χηρεῖαι, ταῖς παιδοτροφίαις αἱ ἀτεκνώσεις. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐγχειροῦμεν τοῖς ἔργοις, ταῖς χρηστοτέραις ἐλπίσιν ἐπερειδόμενοι· τὴν δὲ τῶν ἐλπισθέντων ἔκβασιν ἀνατιθέντες τῷ τὰ ἡμέτερα οἰκονομοῦντι Θεῷ. Σὺ δὲ λόγῳ μὲν ἀποσεμνύνεις τὸν ἁγιασμόν· ἔργῳ δὲ τοῖς κατεγνωσμένοις ἐνδιατρίβεις. Ὅρα μή