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of the hidden thoughts and works of the commandment of virtue, healing what is weak and joining it to what is strong. Since, therefore, the one protection and therapy of the soul is to remember God with longing and always to hold to good thoughts, let us not abandon such diligence, whether eating or drinking or resting or doing or saying anything, so that all our actions may contribute to the glory of God and not to our own, and that our life may have no stain or spot from the plotting of the evil one.

And in another way, for those who love God the labor of the commandments is easy and sweet, making our struggle light and lovely through love for him. For this reason, the evil one also strives in every way to cast out the fear of the Lord from our souls and to dissolve our love for 8,1.76 him, contending with unlawful pleasures and delightful hooks, so that, having seized the soul naked of spiritual weapons and unguarded, he may corrupt our labors, introducing earthly glory to us in place of heavenly glory and obscuring what is truly good with what seems to be good to the imagination of those who are deceived. For he is terrible, if he should find the guards negligent, at stealing an opportunity and entering into the labors of virtue and sowing his own tares with the wheat—I mean, slander and pride and vainglory and desire for honor and strife and the other creations of wickedness. Therefore, it is necessary to be watchful and guard against the enemy from every side, so that if he should launch some device out of shamelessness, it may be repelled before it touches the soul. And continually remember for me those things, that Abel offered to the Lord a sacrifice from the firstborn of the sheep and from their fat, but Cain from the fruits of the earth, but not from the first fruits; And God, it says, looked upon the sacrifices of Abel, but to the gifts of Cain he paid no heed. What then is the profit of the story? That one may learn how everything done with fear and faith is well-pleasing to God, not what is done lavishly without love. For not even Abraham 8,1.77 received the blessing from Melchizedek otherwise than by offering the first fruits and the vital parts to the priest of God. And by 'vital parts' and 'choicest spoils' of his possessions he means the soul itself and the mind itself, commanding [us] not to offer praises and prayers to God meanly nor to bring random things to the Master, but if there is anything vital of the soul, or rather to offer it whole with all love and eagerness, so that being always nourished by the grace of the Spirit and receiving power from Christ we may run the course of salvation readily, making the struggle for righteousness light and sweet, since God himself assists us in our diligence in labors and accomplishes through us the works of righteousness. And so much for these things; but concerning the parts of virtue—which one must be considered better and practiced before the others, and which is second to this one, and the others in order one by one—it is not possible to say. For they hold to one another with equal honor and through one another they lead those who practice them up to the summit. For simplicity hands one over to obedience, and 8,1.78 obedience to faith, and this to hope, and hope to righteousness, and that to service, and that to humility; and from this, gentleness taking over brings one to joy, and joy to love, and love to prayer; and thus linked to one another and linking the one who holds to them, they lead up to the very summit of what is desired, just as, on the contrary, wickedness leads its friends down through its own parts to the uttermost evil. But we must persevere more in prayer; for this happens to be a sort of leader of the chorus of virtues, through which we also ask for the other virtues from God, with whom the one who perseveres in prayer communes and is united through mystical holiness and spiritual energy and an ineffable disposition. For having received from this the Spirit as a guide and ally, he is inflamed toward the of the Lord

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τῶν κρυπτῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐννοιῶν καὶ ἔργων ἐντολῆς ἰώμενος τὸ σαθρὸν καὶ συνάπτων τῷ δυνατῷ. ἐπεὶ οὖν μία ἐστὶ φρουρὰ καὶ θεραπεία ψυχῆς τὸ μεμνῆσθαι ἐν πόθῳ θεοῦ καὶ ἀεὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔχεσθαι ἐννοιῶν, μὴ ἀποστῶμεν τῆς τοιαύτης σπουδῆς μήτε ἐσθίοντες μήτε πίνοντες μήτε ἠρεμοῦντες μήτε ποιοῦντές τι ἢ φθεγγόμενοι, ὅπως πάντα τὰ παρ' ἡμῖν εἰς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ συντελῇ δόξαν καὶ μὴ εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν αὐτῶν μηδὲ ἔχῃ τινὰ ῥύπον ἢ κηλῖδα ὁ βίος ἡμῶν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐπιβουλῆς.

Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν θεὸν εὔκολος καὶ ἡδὺς ὁ πόνος τῶν ἐντολῶν, ἐλαφρὸν καὶ ἐπέραστον ἡμῖν τὸν ἀγῶνα τῆς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ποιούσης ἀγάπης. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς πάντα ἀγωνίζεται τρόπον ἐκβαλεῖν τὸν τοῦ κυρίου φόβον ἐκ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν καὶ διαλῦσαι τὴν πρὸς 8,1.76 ἐκεῖνον ἀγάπην ἡδοναῖς παρανόμοις καὶ τερπνοῖς ἀγκίστροις φιλονεικῶν, ὅπως γυμνὴν τῶν πνευματικῶν ὅπλων καὶ ἄφρουρον λαβὼν τὴν ψυχὴν τοὺς πόνους ἡμῶν διαφθείρῃ, τὴν ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἡμῖν δόξαν ἐπεισάγων τῇ οὐρανίᾳ καὶ ἐπιθολῶν τὰ ὄντως καλὰ τοῖς δοκοῦσιν εἶναι καλοῖς τῇ τῶν ἀπατω μένων φαντασίᾳ. δεινὸς γάρ ἐστιν, εἰ ῥᾳθυμοῦντας εὕροι τοὺς φύλακας, κλέψαι καιρὸν καὶ ἐπεισελθεῖν τοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς πόνοις καὶ συγκατασπεῖραι τῷ σίτῳ τὰ αὑτοῦ ζιζάνια, λοιδορίαν, λέγω, καὶ τῦφον καὶ κενοδοξίαν καὶ τιμῆς ἐπιθυμίαν καὶ ἔριν καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς κακίας δημιουρ γήματα. δεῖ οὖν ἐγρηγορέναι καὶ τηρεῖν πάντοθεν τὸν ἐχθρόν, ὅπως κἂν προσβάλῃ τινὰ μηχανὴν ὑπ' ἀναισχυν τίας, πρὶν ἅψασθαι τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποκρουσθῇ. Μνημονεύετε δέ μοι συνεχῶς κἀκείνων, ὅτι Ἄβελ μὲν προσέφερε τῷ κυρίῳ θυσίαν ἀπὸ πρωτοτόκων προβάτων καὶ ἀπὸ στεάτων, Κάιν δὲ ἀπὸ μὲν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν πρώτων καρπῶν· Καὶ ἐπεῖδε, φησίν, ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις τοῦ Ἄβελ, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς δώροις τοῦ Κάιν οὐ προσέσχεν. τί τοίνυν τῆς ἱστορίας τὸ κέρδος; ὅτι ἔστι μαθεῖν ὡς εὐάρεστον τῷ θεῷ πᾶν τὸ μετὰ φόβου καὶ πίστεως, οὐ τὸ πολυτελῶς ἄνευ ἀγάπης γινόμενον. οὐδὲ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ 8,1.77 παρὰ τοῦ Μελχισεδὲκ ἄλλως ἐδέξατο τὴν εὐλογίαν ἀλλὰ τὰς ἀπαρχὰς καὶ τὰ καίρια προσενέγκας τῷ ἱερεῖ τοῦ θεοῦ. τὰ καίρια δὲ λέγει καὶ τὰ ἀκροθίνια τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸν νοῦν αὐτόν, κελεύων [ἡμῖν] μὴ μικροπρεπῶς θύειν τῷ θεῷ τὰς αἰνέσεις καὶ τὰς εὐχὰς μηδὲ τὰ τυχόντα τῷ δεσπότῃ προσάγειν, ἀλλ' εἴ τι καίριον τῆς ψυχῆς, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὴν ὅλην ἀνατιθέναι μετὰ πάσης ἀγάπης καὶ προθυμίας, ὅπως ἀεὶ τρεφόμενοι τῇ τοῦ πνεύ ματος χάριτι καὶ δύναμιν τὴν ἐκ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσλαμ βάνοντες τρέχωμεν ῥᾳδίως τὸν σωτήριον δρόμον, κοῦφον καὶ ἡδὺν ποιοῦντες τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἀγῶνα, συναντιλαμβάνοντος ἡμῖν αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς τὴν τῶν πόνων σπουδὴν καὶ ἀποτελοῦντος δι' ἡμῶν τὰ τῆς δικαιοσύ νης ἔργα. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν μέχρι τούτου· περὶ δὲ τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς μερῶν, ποῖον δεῖ κρεῖττον ἡγεῖσθαι καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιτηδεύειν, ποῖον δὲ τούτου δεύτερον καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἐφεξῆς καθ' ἕκαστον, οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν. ἀλλήλων γὰρ ὁμοτίμως ἔχονται καὶ δι' ἀλλήλων ἐπὶ τὴν κορυφὴν τοὺς χρωμένους ἀνάγουσιν. ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἁπλότης τῇ ὑπακοῇ παραδίδωσιν, ἡ δὲ 8,1.78 ὑπακοὴ τῇ πίστει, αὕτη δὲ τῇ ἐλπίδι, καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς τῇ δικαιο σύνῃ, κἀκείνη τῇ διακονίᾳ, κἀκείνη τῇ ταπεινότητι· παρὰ δὲ ταύτης ἡ πραότης παραλαμβάνουσα τῇ χαρᾷ προσάγει, ἡ δὲ χαρὰ τῇ ἀγάπῃ καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη τῇ εὐχῇ· καὶ οὕτως ἀλ λήλων ἐξηρτημέναι καὶ ἐξαρτήσασαι τὸν ἐχόμενον ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἀνάγουσι τοῦ ποθουμένου τὴν κορυφήν, καθάπερ ἀπεναντίον ἡ πονηρία τοὺς ἑαυτῆς φίλους διὰ τῶν οἰκείων αὐτῆς μερῶν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην κατάγει κακίαν. δεῖ δὲ ἡμᾶς τῇ εὐχῇ πλέον προσκαρτερεῖν· οἷον γὰρ κορυφαῖός τις τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν ἀρετῶν αὕτη τυγχάνει δι' ἧς καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς ἀρετὰς αἰτούμεθα παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ᾧ κοινωνεῖ καὶ συνάπτεται δι' ἁγιότητος μυστικῆς καὶ πνευματικῆς ἐνεργείας καὶ δια θέσεως ἀρρήτου ὁ τῇ εὐχῇ προσκαρτερῶν. τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα λαβὼν ἐντεῦθεν ὁδηγὸν καὶ σύμμαχον φλέγεται πρὸς τὴν τοῦ κυρίου