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wickedness having emerged from some depth and having corrupted the reasoning of piety may enslave the soul, having filled it with passions that secretly tear it apart. It is necessary, therefore, to guard securely, frequently turning back to the soul like a general shouting and giving orders; O man, With all watchfulness guard your heart; for from these are the springs of life; and the guard of the soul is pious reasoning, fortified by the fear of God and the grace of the spirit and by works of virtue; for he who has armed his own soul with these things easily turns away the attacks of the tyrant, I mean deceit and desire and pride and anger and envy and whatever wicked movements of evil are within. and it is necessary for the farmer of virtue to be of a simple and steadfast sort, knowing how to cultivate only the fruits of piety, and never to turn his life toward the ways of wickedness nor to draw away the reasoning of piety from faith, but to be of a single and straightforward sort and inexperienced in the passions that lie outside his own path; for it is not possible for the one living with one man and the one who commits fornication against her marriage to expect the same reward of life.

You shall not yoke, says the blessed Moses, in your threshing floor different kinds of animals together, such as an ox and a donkey, but having yoked together those of the same kind you will thresh your harvest; nor shall you weave together linen with a woolen garment nor again wool with a linen one; you shall not cultivate in the field of your land two crops together nor a second in the year; you shall not put an animal of a different kind upon another for breeding, but you shall join those of the same kind with those of the same kind. What do these riddles mean for the holy one? that one must not plant wickedness and virtue together with each other in the same soul, nor, dividing one's life between opposites, cultivate both thorns and wheat together from the same soul nor for the bride of Christ to commit adultery with the enemies of Christ and to conceive light, but to bring forth darkness; for it is not in the nature of these things to occur together, just as neither do the parts of virtue with the parts of wickedness. for what friendship is there between self-control and incontinence? what harmony between righteousness and unrighteousness? what fellowship has light with darkness? does not the one always withdraw from the other and refuse to remain with that which opposes it? therefore the wise farmer must, just as from a fresh and good spring, send forth the pure streams of life, unmixed with any filth, knowing only the farms of God and laboring at and remaining with these throughout life, so that if some alien thought should spring up in secret among the fruits of virtue, the one who sees all things, seeing your labors, may quickly by his own power cut out that deceitful and treacherous root of thoughts before it sprouts. for to the one who perseveres in the labors of virtue the grace of the spirit quickly follows, destroying the seeds of wickedness, and it is not possible to fail in hope nor for the one who always attends upon God to be overlooked without vindication. Did you see the widow in the gospel, who brought to a judge who was not philanthropic the magnitude of the injustice, but her great persistence and perseverance in her petition, having overcome the character of the judge, calls forth punishment for the one who wronged her. therefore do not you either give up when you pray; for if her shamelessness in petition swayed the mind of a merciless ruler, how ought we to despair of our zeal towards God, whose mercy often knows how to anticipate those who ask? but also the Lord himself, approving our persistence in prayers and urging us to use zeal See, he says, what the unjust judge says; how much more will our heavenly Father bring about justice for those who cry to him night and day; yes, I tell you, he will bring about justice quickly. and the apostle also, having great zeal and struggle for the disciples of piety to come to perfect progress, and at the same time also making the aim of truth clear to all, says: Admonishing every man and teaching in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ, for which I also labor, striving. and again to those having the seal of the spirit through baptism

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κακίας ἐκ βάθους ποθὲν ἀνακύψας καὶ τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας λογισμὸν διαφθείρας δουλώσῃ τὴν ψυχήν, πληρώσας τῶν διελκόντων αὐτὴν λάθρα παθῶν. ∆εῖ οὖν φρουρεῖν ἀσφαλῶς ἐπιστρεφόμενον πυκνὰ πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν ὥσπερ τὸν στρατηγὸν ἐπιβοῶντα καὶ ἐπικελευό μενον· ἄνθρωπε, Πάσῃ φυλακῇ τήρει τὴν σὴν καρδίαν· ἐκ γὰρ τούτων ἔξοδοι ζωῆς· ψυχῆς δὲ φρουρὰ λογισμὸς εὐσεβὴς φόβῳ θεοῦ καὶ χάριτι πνεύματος καὶ ἀρετῆς ἔργοις ὠχυρωμένος· ὁ γὰρ τούτοις τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν καθοπλίσας ῥᾳδίως τρέπεται τοῦ τυράννου τὰς προσβολάς, δόλον λέγω καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν καὶ τῦφον ὀργήν τε καὶ φθόνον καὶ ὅσα πονηρὰ τῆς κακίας ἔνδον ἔστι κινήματα. χρὴ δὲ τὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς γεωργὸν ἁπλοῦν τινα εἶναι καὶ βέβαιον, μόνους εἰδότα γεωργεῖν τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας καρπούς, καὶ μήτε τὸν βίον ἐκτρέπειν ποτὲ πρὸς τὰς τῆς κακίας ὁδοὺς μήτε 8,1.56 τὸν λογισμὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀφέλκειν τῆς πίστεως, ἀλλ' εἶναι μονότροπόν τινα καὶ εὐθῆ καὶ ἄπειρον τῶν ἔξω τῆς ἰδίας ὁδοῦ κειμένων παθῶν· οὐδὲ γὰρ δυνατὸν τὴν τῷ μόνῳ ἀνδρὶ συζῶσαν καὶ τὴν τοῦ γάμου καταπορνεύουσαν τὸν αὐτὸν προσδοκᾶν τοῦ βίου μισθόν.

Οὐ ζεύξεις, φησὶν ὁ μακάριος Μωυσῆς, ἐν τῇ ἅλῳ σου ἀλλογενῆ ζῷα ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ οἷον βοῦν καὶ ὄνον, ἀλλὰ τὰ ὁμογενῆ ζεύξας ἀλοήσεις τὸν ἀμητόν σου· οὐδὲ συνυφανεῖς ἐρεῷ ἱματίῳ λῖνον οὐδὲ πάλιν λινῷ ἐρέαν· οὐ γεωργήσεις ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τῆς γῆς σου δύο καρποὺς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ οὐδὲ δεύτερον τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ· οὐκ ἐπιβαλεῖς ἑτερογενὲς ζῷον ἐπὶ ἕτερον εἰς γονήν, ἀλλὰ τὰ ὁμογενῆ τοῖς ὁμογενέσι συζεύξεις. Τί ταῦτα τῷ ἁγίῳ βούλεται τὰ αἰνίγματα; τὸ μὴ δεῖν ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ψυχῇ κακίαν καὶ ἀρετὴν συμφυτεύειν ἀλλήλαις μηδὲ μερίζοντα τὸν βίον τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἀκάνθας τε ὁμοῦ καὶ σῖτον ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ψυχῆς γεωργεῖν μηδὲ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ νύμφην τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τοῦ Χριστοῦ μοιχᾶσθαι καὶ τὸ μὲν κύειν φῶς, τὸ δὲ ζόφον τίκτειν· οὐ γὰρ πέφυκε ταῦτα συμβαίνειν ἀλλήλοις ὥσπερ οὐδὲ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς μέρη 8,1.57 τοῖς μέρεσι τῆς κακίας. ποία γὰρ φιλία σωφροσύνης πρὸς ἀκρασίαν; ποία δὲ πρὸς ἀδικίαν δικαιοσύνης ὁμόνοια; τίς δὲ φωτὶ κοινωνία πρὸς σκότος; οὐχὶ ἀεὶ τὸ ἕτερον ὑπεξίσταται τῷ ἑτέρῳ καὶ μένειν οὐκ ἐθέλει πρὸς τὸ μαχόμενον; δεῖ οὖν τὸν σοφὸν γεωργὸν καθάπερ ἐκ πηγῆς ποτίμου καὶ ἀγαθῆς καθαρὰ πέμπειν τοῦ βίου τὰ νάματα καὶ παντὸς ἀμιγῆ βορβόρου, μόνα τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ γεώργια εἰδότα καὶ τούτοις πονοῦντα διὰ βίου καὶ παραμέ νοντα, ὅπως κἂν ὑποφύηταί τις ξένος ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς καρπῶν λογισμός, τοὺς σοὺς ἰδὼν πόνους ὁ πάντα ὁρῶν ταχέως τῇ ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμει τὴν δολερὰν ἐκείνην καὶ ὕπουλον ῥίζαν τῶν λογισμῶν πρὸ τῆς βλάστης ἐκτέμῃ. τῷ γὰρ τοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς προσκαρτεροῦντι πόνοις ἀκολουθεῖ ταχέως ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος χάρις τὰ τῆς κακίας διαφθείρουσα σπέρματα, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἁμαρτεῖν τῆς ἐλπίδος οὐδὲ ἀνεκ δίκητον παροφθῆναι τὸν ἀεὶ παρεδρεύοντα τῷ θεῷ. Εἶδες τὴν ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ χήραν, ἣ προσῆγε μὲν οὐ φιλανθρώπῳ κριτῇ τὸ τῆς ἀδικίας μέγεθος, ἡ δὲ πολλὴ περὶ τὴν δέησιν σχολὴ καὶ καρτερία νικήσασα τοῦ δικαστοῦ τὸν τρόπον ἐκκαλεῖ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἀδικήσαντος τιμωρίαν. μὴ τοίνυν μηδὲ σὺ προσευχόμενος ἀπείπῃς· εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἐκείνης περὶ τὴν δέησιν ἀναιδὲς ἄρχοντος ἀνηλεοῦς ἔκλινε γνώμην, πῶς ἡμᾶς χρὴ τῆς περὶ τὸν θεὸν ἀπογνῶναι σπουδῆς, οὗ τὸ ἔλεος φθάνειν οἶδε πολλάκις τοὺς αἰτοῦντας; 8,1.58 ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἀποδεχόμενος τὴν περὶ τὰς εὐχὰς ἡμῶν ἐπιμονὴν καὶ προτρέπων χρῆσθαι τῇ σπουδῇ Ἴδετε, φησί, τί λέγει ὁ ἄδικος κριτής· πόσῳ μᾶλλον ποιήσει ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν βοώντων πρὸς αὐτὸν νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας· ναὶ λέγω ὑμῖν ποιήσει τὴν ἐκδίκησιν ἐν τάχει. καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος δὲ πολλὴν σπουδὴν καὶ ἀγῶνα ἔχων εἰς τελείαν προκοπὴν τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας μαθητὰς ἐλθεῖν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας σκοπὸν φανερὸν πᾶσι καθιστῶν φησί· Νουθετοῦντες πάντα ἄνθρωπον καὶ διδάσκοντες ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ, ἵνα παραστή σωμεν πάντα ἄνθρωπον τέλειον ἐν Χριστῷ, εἰς ὃ καὶ κοπιῶ ἀγωνιζόμενος. καὶ πάλιν τοῖς τὴν σφραγῖδα τοῦ πνεύματος διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος