Epistula Magna

 are possible with the God who has promised for the passions of sin later came upon the soul and the body because of the transgression of the first-fo

 gives himself to all the well-pleasingness of the commandments, to that extent he also acquires the participation of the spirit for the spiritual incr

 [as] one who, as a bride of Christ, longs to be joined to the heavenly king who is pure and undefiled. For the soul that longs to be joined to him and

 the worse work of destruction, numbering hidden and manifest sins as one, he says: And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up

 to have fellowship and to be united, but only with the Spirit of God, 247 being united and clinging to it, he commanded the soul to bear the sacred of

 But in another epistle, teaching about the same things and showing the disciples the abundance of spiritual wealth and exhorting them to hasten to att

 he sets forth the goal. And because we are not sufficient for the struggle against the principalities and the powers and the spiritual forces of wicke

 let us have affliction and struggle and a ceaseless race, daily stretching forward always to the things that are before and forgetting the things that

 and having entered with exultation, since indeed he has become the agent of great salvation for himself, if with long-suffering and patience he remain

 he who humbles himself will be exalted and again: Whoever wishes to be first among you, let him be the last of all and the servant of all just as th

 the adversary always hinders the mind in good things, from loving the things above by the memory of good things, but rather, by enticing the will thro

 occupying ourselves with love always. and thus we shall be able to receive daily increase and progress towards divine love, being helped by the divine

 the soul's love is stretched out toward God and therefore if someone wishes to persevere unceasingly in prayers and to be at leisure for fasting acco

 surrendering the mind to such things and by reason of a lack of discernment being fully convinced by the bodily kneeling, while the mind is in a state

 a lack, his own work and toil, should he think the fruits of the spirit to be, he possesses much vain conceit and falls from great spiritual goods, no

 the future hope of the resurrection 279 immortal and it is possible to take up the sufferings of Christ readily and easily. Let those who have not ye

 being done That, he says, they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. And the apostles, having legislated through the Spir

 the need of those who serve and give rest, and again the surplus of those who serve and work for the need of those who devote themselves to prayers. F

 we are deemed worthy of Christ, let us have communion with one another in all good things for the edification and benefit both of ourselves and of our

 of practices will it be to attain unless through what we have said before, setting forth through many things at the same time also the scriptural test

 believe in truths, that it is necessary for the one who has truly come to serve God to arrive at the measures of impassibility and freedom. Since ther

 workers or certain slaves are told by their master to reap three plethra each day, and one worker, having received such a command from his master, giv

 is promised to those who have consecrated themselves. For those who consider it impossible for this accomplishment to happen in men through the Spirit

 to those who obey the spirit, that it is necessary for the one who has approached God in truth, believing in his promises with a whole heart and striv

surrendering the mind to such things and by reason of a lack of discernment being fully convinced by the bodily kneeling, while the mind is in a state of confusion or distraction. For it is possible for someone, if he does not prepare himself to be exceedingly watchful [and] does not constantly apply investigation and attention of the mind, always longing for the Lord, being variously and secretly tripped up by evil, to be lifted up or puffed up with pride against the rest who are not yet able to persevere in prayer in this way; and thus through such villainies of evil to lose the good work, utterly betraying it to the evil demon. But just as he has undertaken greater works of prayer, so also he ought to possess greater labor and care and struggle than the rest, lest he suffer some theft from evil. For against those who attempt to do some greater good practice, the evil one struggles more greatly, wishing to trip them up. 274 But in order that we may bring forth the fruit of love and humility and simplicity and goodness and discernment daily through perseverance in prayer in all things and we may be manifest as receiving advancement toward better things, let us strive so that, our good fruits being manifest to them, we may provoke even those who on account of their infancy are not yet able to persevere in prayer, and bring them to a desire to give themselves eagerly and zealously to this struggle. For if humility and love and simplicity and goodness do not adorn our prayer, the prayer, or rather the form of prayer, will benefit us in nothing. And we do not say this only concerning prayer, but concerning every toil and labor of virginity and prayer and fasting and vigil and psalmody or service or of any toil and work whatsoever performed by us for the sake of virtue: if we do not find in ourselves the fruits of love and peace and joy and gentleness and humility and simplicity and guilelessness and faith and long-suffering and generosity, and offer such fruits to all, our labors and toils have become rash and in vain. For all that work and those toils ought to be done for the sake of these fruits; but if the fruits of love and peace are not 275 found in us, all the work has become rash and in vain. For such people are shown to be like the five foolish virgins on the day of judgment, who, because they did not bring from here in the vessels of their hearts the spiritual oil, which is the working of the aforementioned virtues through the Spirit, being called foolish, were shut out from the spiritual bridal chamber of the kingdom, and the labor of their virginity, on account of the lack of virtues and the want of the active indwelling of the Spirit, was counted as nothing. For just as in the cultivation of the vine all care and labor is done for the enjoyment of the fruits, but if fruits are not found on the vine, all the diligent effort of the work has become rash and in vain, so if we do not recognize in ourselves, through the working of the Spirit, in all full assurance and spiritual perception, fruits of love and peace and joy and humility and long-suffering and faith and the rest, as many as the apostle enumerated, the labor of virginity is rash, and the toil of prayer and psalmody and fasting and vigil is shown to be futile; for these toils and labors of soul and body ought to be performed in the hope of spiritual fruits. And the fruit-bearing of the Spirit in the virtues is a spiritual enjoyment in incorruptible pleasure, worked by the Spirit in faithful and humble hearts. For in great understanding of discernment let the works and labors and toils of human nature be led, 276 and let the fruits be counted as fruits, being worked by the Holy Spirit through faith and hope in those who are worthy. For if anyone through knowledge

τοιούτοις παραδιδοὺς τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ ἀδιακρισίας αἰτίᾳ ἐμπληροφούμενος τῇ σωματικῇ γονυκλισίᾳ, τοῦ νοὸς ἐν συγχύσει ἢ ῥεμβασμῷ καθεστῶτος. δύναται γάρ τις, ἐὰν μὴ ἄκρως νήφειν παρασκευάζηται [καὶ] μηδὲ πάντοτε τὴν ἔρευναν καὶ προσοχὴν τοῦ νοῦ ποιῆται, ἐπιποθῶν ἀεὶ τὸν κύριον, ὑπὸ τῆς κακίας ποικίλως κατὰ τὸ κρυπτὸν ὑποσκελιζόμενος ἐπαίρεσθαι ἢ τυφοῦσθαι κατὰ τῶν λοιπῶν τῶν μηδέπω οὕτως δυναμένων τῇ εὐχῇ προσκαρτερεῖν· καὶ οὕτως διὰ τῶν τοιούτων τῆς κακίας πανουργημάτων τὴν καλὴν ἀπόλλυσιν ἐργασίαν, καταπροδιδοὺς ταύτην τῷ πονηρῷ δαίμονι. ἀλλ' ὥσπερ μείζονα τῆς εὐχῆς ἔργα ἀνεδέξατο, οὕτως καὶ πόνον καὶ μέριμναν καὶ ἀγῶνα μείζονα τῶν λοιπῶν ὀφείλει κεκτῆσθαι, μή πως κλοπήν τινα παρὰ τῆς κακίας πάθῃ. τοῖς γὰρ μεῖζόν τι ποιεῖν ἐπιβαλλομένοις ἀγαθὸν ἐπιτήδευμα μειζόνως ὁ πονηρὸς ἀνταγωνίζεται ὑποσκελίζειν βουλόμενος. 274 Ἀλλ' ἵνα καρπὸν ἀγάπης καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης καὶ ἁπλότητος καὶ ἀγαθότητος καὶ διακρίσεως ὁσημέραι διὰ τῆς προσκαρτερήσεως τῆς εὐχῆς ἐκφύσωμεν ἐν πᾶσι καὶ φανεροὶ ὦμεν τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττω προκοπὴν λαμβάνοντες, ἀγωνισώμεθα ἵνα καὶ τοὺς διὰ τὴν νηπιότητα τῇ εὐχῇ προσκαρτερεῖν μηδέπω δυναμένους, τῶν ἀγαθῶν καρπῶν ἡμῶν φανερῶν αὐτοῖς ὄντων, ἐρεθίσωμεν καὶ εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ἐνέγκωμεν προθύμως καὶ σπουδαίως ἐπὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα τοῦτον ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδοῦναι. ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη καὶ ἡ ἁπλότης καὶ ἡ ἀγαθότης τὴν εὐχὴν ἡμῶν κατακοσμήσῃ, ἡ εὐχή, μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς εὐχῆς, οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς ὠφελήσει. οὐ μόνον δὲ περὶ τῆς εὐχῆς τοῦτο λέγομεν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ παντὸς καμάτου καὶ πόνου παρθενίας καὶ εὐχῆς καὶ νηστείας καὶ ἀγρυπνίας καὶ ψαλμῳδίας ἢ διακονίας ἢ οἱουδήποτε καμάτου καὶ ἐργασίας ἀρετῆς ἕνεκεν ὑφ' ἡμῶν ἐπιτελουμένης· ἐὰν μὴ τοὺς καρποὺς τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ εἰρήνης καὶ χαρᾶς καὶ πραότητος καὶ ταπεινώσεως ἁπλότητός τε καὶ ἀφελότητος καὶ πίστεως καὶ μακροθυμίας καὶ ἀφθονίας ἐν ἑαυτοῖς εὑρίσκωμεν καὶ πᾶσι τοιούτους καρποὺς προσφέρωμεν, εἰκῇ καὶ μάτην οἱ πόνοι καὶ οἱ κάματοι ἡμῶν γεγόνασι. πᾶσα γὰρ ἐκείνη ἡ ἐργασία καὶ οἱ κάματοι διὰ τοὺς καρποὺς τούτους γίνεσθαι ὀφείλουσιν· τῶν δὲ καρπῶν τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ εἰρήνης μὴ 275 εὑρισκομένων ἐν ἡμῖν εἰκῇ καὶ μάτην ὅλη ἡ ἐργασία γεγένηται. οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι κατὰ τὰς πέντε μωρὰς παρθένους ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως ἀποδείκνυνται, αἵτινες διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐντεῦθεν ἐπικομίσασθαι ἐν τοῖς τῆς καρδίας ἀγγείοις τὸ πνευματικὸν ἔλαιον, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ τῶν προειρημένων ἀρετῶν διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐνέργεια, μωραὶ ὀνομασθεῖσαι τοῦ πνευματικοῦ τῆς βασιλείας νυμφῶνος ἀπεκλείσθησαν καὶ ὁ τῆς παρθενίας κάματος διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἔλλειψιν καὶ ὑστέρησιν τῆς ἐνεργοῦς ἐνοικήσεως τοῦ πνεύματος εἰς οὐδὲν ἐλογίσθη. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τῇ γεωργίᾳ τῆς ἀμπέλου πᾶσα ἐπιμέλεια καὶ κάματος διὰ τὴν τῶν καρπῶν ἀπόλαυσιν γίνεται, καρπῶν δὲ μὴ εὑρισκομένων ἐν τῇ ἀμπέλῳ εἰκῇ καὶ μάτην πᾶσα ἡ ἐμπόνησις τῆς ἐργασίας γεγένηται, οὕτως ἐὰν μὴ διὰ τῆς ἐνεργείας τοῦ πνεύματος καρποὺς ἀγάπης καὶ εἰρήνης καὶ χαρᾶς καὶ ταπεινώσεως μακροθυμίας τε καὶ πίστεως καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν, ὅσα ὁ ἀπόστολος διηγόρευσεν, ἐν πάσῃ πληροφορίᾳ καὶ αἰσθήσει πνευματικῇ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιγνῶμεν, εἰκῇ ὁ τῆς παρθενίας κάματος, καὶ εὐχῆς καὶ ψαλμῳδίας νηστείας τε καὶ ἀγρυπνίας ὁ πόνος μάταιος ἀποδείκνυται· οὗτοι γὰρ οἱ κάματοι καὶ πόνοι ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος ἐπ' ἐλπίδι πνευματικῶν καρπῶν ἐπιτελεῖσθαι ὀφείλουσιν. ἡ δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς καρποφορία ἀπόλαυσίς ἐστι πνευματικὴ ἐν ἡδονῇ ἀφθάρτῳ ἐν καρδίαις πισταῖς καὶ ταπειναῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐνεργουμένη. ἐν πολλῇ γὰρ συνέσει διακρίσεως αἱ ἐργασίαι καὶ οἱ πόνοι καὶ κάματοι τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως ἡγείσθωσαν, 276 καὶ οἱ καρποὶ καρποὶ λογιζέσθωσαν διὰ πίστεως καὶ ἐλπίδος ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐν τοῖς ἀξίοις ἐνεργούμενοι. ἐὰν γάρ τις διὰ γνώσεως