other virtues, likewise he does not force himself, and compel himself, sometimes divine grace comes to him when he asks and prays; for God is good and kind, and to those who ask Him he gives their requests; but if he has not prepared himself, and has not accustomed himself to the aforementioned virtues, he either loses the grace, or receives it and falls, or makes no progress, being high-minded; because he does not give himself to the Lord's commandments by choice. For the dwelling-place or rest of the Spirit is humility, and love, and meekness, and the other commandments of the Lord. Therefore, those who truly wish to please God, and to receive from him the heavenly grace, and to grow and be perfected in the Holy Spirit, ought first to force themselves to keep all the virtues, even if the heart is unwilling, according to what is said: Therefore I directed myself toward all your commandments. For as one forces and compels himself to perseverance in prayer until he achieves this; likewise in all the practices of virtue he forces and compels himself, and accustoms himself to a good habit; and thus by asking and praying to the Lord continually, and obtaining his request, the gift of the Spirit grows and flourishes in him, the gift bestowed upon him resting in his humility, and in the other virtues, and it teaches him true love, true meekness, which he previously forced himself to seek; and thus having grown and been perfected in God, he is deemed worthy to be an heir of the kingdom of heaven. For the humble one never falls. For where can he fall, being beneath all? Humility is a great exaltation; and humility is honor, and dignity. Let us therefore accustom ourselves, and compel ourselves to humility, even if our heart is unwilling34.841, praying and beseeching God in faith and hope and love unceasingly in this expectation, that he may send his Spirit into our hearts; that we may pray and worship the Father in Spirit; and that the Spirit itself may pray in us; that the Spirit itself may teach us true prayer, humility, meekness, love, which now we are not able to do without force, bowels of compassion, kindness, and teach us to do all the Lord's commandments in truth, without toil and without force; as the Spirit itself knows how to fill us with its fruits; and thus the Lord's commandments having been fulfilled in us through his Spirit, who alone knows the will of Christ, and cleanses us from the stain of sin, he may present us to Christ like beautiful, pure, and blameless brides, as we rest in God, and Christ rests in us for endless ages. Glory to his compassion, and to his mercy, and to his love, that he has deemed the human race worthy of such honor, deeming and calling them his own brothers and sons of the heavenly Father. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

λοιπὰς ἀρετὰς, ὁμοίως οὐ βιάζεται ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ἄγχει, ἐνίοτε γίνεται πρὸς αὐτὸν θεία χάρις αἰτοῦντος καὶ δεομένου· ἀγαθὸς γὰρ καὶ χρηστὸς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτὸν δίδωσι τὰ αἰτήματα· μὴ προευτρεπίσας δὲ ἑαυτὸν, καὶ μὴ ἐθίσας εἰς τὰς προειρημένας ἀρετὰς, ἢ ἀπόλλει τὴν χάριν, ἢ λαμβάνει καὶ πίπτει, ἢ οὐ προκόπτει ὑψηλοφρονήσας· ἐπειδὴ ταῖς ἐντολαῖς τοῦ Κυρίου ἑαυτὸν ἐκ προαιρέσεως οὐ δίδωσι. Τὸ γὰρ κατοικητήριον ἢ ἀνάπαυσις τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη ἐστὶ, καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη, καὶ ἡ πραότης, καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐντολαί. Ὀφείλουσιν οὖν βουλόμενοι ἐξ ἀληθείας εὐαρεστῆσαι τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ δέξασθαι παρ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπουράνιον χάριν, καὶ αὐξῆσαι καὶ τελειῶσαι ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι καὶ βιάζεσθαι πρῶτον ἑαυτὸν φυλάσσειν πάσας τὰς ἀρετὰς, καὶ μὴ θελούσης τῆς καρδίας, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πρὸς πάσας τὰς ἐντολάς σου κατωρθούμην. Ὡς γάρ τις εἰς τὴν καρτέρησιν τῆς εὐχῆς βιάζεται ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἄγχει ἕως οὗ κατορθώσῃ τοῦτο· ὁμοίως εἰς πάντα τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπιτηδεύματα βιάζεται ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἄγχει, καὶ ἐθίζει ἕθος ἀγαθόν· καὶ οὕτως αἰτούμενος καὶ δεόμενος τοῦ Κυρίου διαπαντὸς, καὶ τυχὼν τῆς αἰτήσεως, αὔξει καὶ θαλεῖ ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ Πνεύματος, τὸ χάρισμα τὸ χαρισθὲν αὐτῷ ἐναπαυόμενον ἐν τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν ταῖς λοιπαῖς ἀρεταῖς, καὶ διδάσκει αὐτὸν ἀληθινὴν ἀγάπην, ἀληθινὴν πραότητα, ἣν προεβιάσατο καὶ ἐζήτησε· καὶ οὕτως αὐξήσας καὶ τελειωθεὶς ἐν Θεῷ κληρονόμος τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀξιοῦται. Ὁ γὰρ ταπεινὸς οὐδέποτε πίπτει. Ποῦ γὰρ πεσεῖν ἔχει ὑποκάτω πάντων ὤν; μεγάλη ὕψωσις ἡ ταπείνωσις· καὶ τιμιότης, καὶ ἀξίωμα ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη. Ἐθίσωμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς αὑτοὺς, καὶ ἄγξωμεν εἰς τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην, καὶ μὴ θελού34.841 σης τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν, δεόμενοι καὶ παρακαλοῦντες τὸν Θεὸν ἐν πίστει καὶ ἐλπίδι καὶ ἀγάπῃ ἀδιαλείπτως ἐν τῇ προσδοκίᾳ ταύτῃ, ἵνα ἀποστείλῃ τὸ Πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν· ἵνα εὐξώμεθα καὶ προσκυνήσωμεν ἐν Πνεύματι τῷ Πατρί· καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ Πνεῦμα εὔξηται ἐν ἡμῖν· ἵνα αὐτὸ τὸ Πνεῦμα διδάξῃ ἡμᾶς εὐχὴν ἀληθινὴν, ταπεινοφροσύνην, πραότητα, ἀγάπην, ἃ νῦν μετὰ βίας οὐ δυνάμεθα ποιεῖν, σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμῶν, χρηστότητα, καὶ πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Κυρίου διδάξῃ ἡμᾶς ποιῆσαι ἐξ ἀληθείας, ἀπόνως καὶ ἀβιάστως· ὡς αὐτὸ τὸ Πνεῦμα οἶδε πληροῦν ἡμᾶς τοῖς καρποῖς αὐτοῦ· καὶ οὕτως τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Κυρίου πληρωθεισῶν ἐφ' ἡμῖν διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ, τοῦ μόνου γινώσκοντος τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ καθαρίζοντος ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ σπίλου τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὥσπερ νύμφας καλὰς καθαρὰς καὶ ἀμώμους παραστήσῃ τῷ Χριστῷ, ἀναπαυομένων ἡμῶν ἐν Θεῷ, καὶ ἀναπαυομένου τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν εἰς τοὺς ἀπεράντους αἰῶνας. ∆όξα τοῖς οἰκτιρμοῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῷ ἐλέει, καὶ τῇ ἀγάπῃ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι εἰς τοσαύτην τιμὴν κατηξίωσε τὸ ἀνθρώπινον γένος, ἰδίους ἀδελφοὺς καὶ υἱοὺς Πατρὸς ἐπουρανίου καταξιῶν καὶ προσαγορεύων. ∆όξα τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ, καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.