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is utterly captured by the devil's darts. No one who invisibly possesses this in his soul 15Β_084 fears the manifold assaults of the demons. No one who chooses cohabitation with it is ever attached to visible things. No one who has this characterizing his life is polluted by the filth of perishable things. No one who has bound this indissolubly to his thoughts allows his senses to be borne disorderly toward what they ought not. No one whose soul has been qualified by this can deem himself completely greater than another; but on the contrary, he would rather believe himself to be and to be considered less than everyone. No one who girds himself with this in his mind slips from the understanding of divine things. No one who has joined this to himself throughout will be ignorant of the precepts of a pious life. The Holy Spirit creates this, visiting the hearts of the worthy. I know this alone to be the generator of the joy in the kingdom of heaven. For godly sorrow is clearly a divine seed; providing as ripe fruit the gladness of eternal goods.

The precise recollection in the mind of one's past life 0416 renews this. The book of our transgressions in our conscience, when read diligently, nurses this. The memory of death, and the most acute pain arising in the soul at the departure, being always expected, procures this. The fearful and abrupt examination of the soul in the air by the spirits of wickedness, being constantly formed in the mind, preserves this completely unquenchable. For who, beloved, being like me, stained with the filth of sins, does not fear the presence of the holy angels? by whom, receiving the end of the present life according to the divine decree, he is violently and unwillingly thrust from the body with wrath. Who, bringing with him a stained conscience, does not dread the most cruel and barbarous attack of the wicked demons, each one in this air after the departure, through the intervening 15Β_086 passion mercilessly tearing the wretched soul toward itself, and shaming it with the refutation of its deeds, and causing it to despair of all hope for future goods? This sorrow is savingly nourished by the precise representation of the state of souls in Hades, after the examination in the air by the spiritual powers of wickedness; how they live in deep darkness and profound silence, having as food the most bitter groans and tears, and dejection over these things; constantly awaiting nothing else but the just condemnation by the divine decree. The hope of the resurrection establishes this sorrow; the majesty of the fearful and all-glorious coming of Christ; the most dreadful day of judgment, continually meditated on in the mind; on which heaven and earth, and the whole arrangement of visible things, will pass away with a rushing noise; the elements being burned and dissolved by the immense fire, purifying beforehand the creation, which has been defiled by us, for the arrival of the pure one; in which thrones are set up, and the Ancient of Days takes his seat, and the countless hosts of holy angels and archangels stand by ministering with fear and trembling; and the whole nature of men is brought to examination; and books of our works and words and thoughts are opened, containing the records with all precision. Through which the exposure of all that we have done takes place before all creation; so that all know each other's sins, as much as each knows his own, by reading plainly the book of his own conscience; on which those who stand on the right hand of the Judge will receive the promises of the ineffable goods; but those on the left

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τοῖς τοῦ διαβόλου καθάπαξ ἁλίσκεται βέλεσιν. Οὐδείς ταύτην ἀοράτως κατά ψυχήν 15Β_084 περιέπων, φοβεῖται τάς πολυτρόπους τῶν δαιμόνων ἐπιδρομάς. Οὐδείς ἑλόμενος τήν ταύτης συμβίωσιν, ποτέ τοῖς ὁρωμένοις προστίθεται. Οὐδείς ταύτην ἔχων τόν βίον χαρακτηρίζουσαν, τοῖς τῶν φθειρομένων ῥύποις μολύνεται. Οὐδείς ταύτην συνδήσας ἀλύτως τοῖς λογισμοῖς, ἀτάκτως ἐφ ἅ μή δεῖ φέρεσθαι συγχωρεῖ τάς αἰσθήσεις. Οὐδείς ταύτῃ τήν ψυχήν πεποιωμένος, ἑαυτόν ἄλλου μείζοντα παντελῶς ἡγήσασθαι δύναται· τουναντίον δέ μᾶλλον παντός ἥττονα καί εἶναι καί νομίζεσθαι πιστεύσειεν. Οὐδείς ἑαυτῷ ταύτην κατά νοῦν περιζωσάμενος, τῆς τῶν θείων ἀπολισθαίνει κατανοήσεως. Οὐδείς ἑαυτῷ ταύτην δι᾿ ὅλου συναρμόσας, ἀγνοήσει τά τῆς εὐσεβοῦς πολιτείας συνθήματα. Ταύτην τό ἅγιον Πνεῦμα δημιουργεῖ, ταῖς τῶν ἀξίων καρδίαις ἐπιφοιτοῦν. Ταύτην ἐπίσταμαι μόνην ἐγώ τῆς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν χαρᾶς οὖσαν γεννητικήν. Σπέρμα γάρ θεῖον ὑπάρχει σαφῶς ἡ κατά Θεόν λύπη· καρπόν ὥριμον τήν τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν εὐφροσύνην παρέχουσα.

Ταύτην ἡ κατά διάνοιαν ἀκριβής τῶν βεβιωμένων 0416 ἀνάληψις ἀνανεοῖ. Ταύτην ἡ κατά συνείδησιν τῶν πλημμεληθέντων ἡμῖν βίβλος, φιλοπόνως ἀναγινωσκομένη τιθηνεῖται. Ταύτην ἡ τοῦ θανάτου μνήμη, καί ὁ ἐπ᾿ αὐτῇ κατά τήν ἔξοδον ἐγγινόμενος τῇ ψυχῇ δριμύτατος πόνος ἀεί προσδοκώμενος περιποιεῖται. Ταύτην ἡ κατά τόν ἀέρα συγκροτουμένη πρός τήν ψυχήν, τῶν τῆς πονηρίας πνευμάτων φοβερά καί ἀπότομος ἔρευνα διά παντός κατά νοῦν μορφουμένη, διαφυλάττει παντελῶς ἀκατάσβεστον. Τίς γάρ, ἠγαπημένε, τῶν κατ᾿ ἐμέ ῥύποις ἁμαρτημάτων κατεστιγμένος, οὐ φοβεῖται τήν τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων ἐπιστασίαν; ὑφ᾿ ὧν κατά θείαν ψῆφον τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς τό πέρας δεχόμενος, βίᾳ τοῦ σώματος μετ᾿ ὁργῆς ἐξωθεῖται καί μή βουλόμενος. Τίς κεκηλιδωμένην ἑαυτῷ συνεπαγόμενος τήν συνείδησιν οὐ δέδοικε τήν ὡμοτάτην τῶν πονηρῶν δαιμόνων καί βάρβαρον ἔμπτωσιν, ἑκάστου κατά τόν ἀέρα τοῦτον μετά τήν ἔξοδον, διά τοῦ μέσου 15Β_086 πάθους ἀπηνῶς πρός ἑαυτόν διασπῶντος τήν ἀθλίαν ψυχήν, καί τῷ ἐλέγχῳ τῶν αὐτῇ πεπραγμένων καταισχύνοντος, καί πάσης ἐμποιοῦντος αὐτῇ τῆς ἐπί τοῖς μέλλουσιν ἀγαθοῖς ἐλπίδος ἀπόγνωσιν; Ταύτην σωτηρίως διατρέφει τήν λύπην, ἡ μετά τήν γινομένην κατά τόν ἀέρα πρός τά πνευματικά τῆς πονηρίας διάγνωσιν, τῆς τῶν ἐν ᾅδη ψυχῶν καταστάσεως ἀκριβής ἀνατύπωσις· ὅπως ἐν σκότῳ βαθεῖ διάγωσι καί βαρυτάτῃ σιγῇ, τροφήν ἔχουσαι τούς δριμυτάτους στεναγμούς καί τά δάκρυα, καί τήν ἐπί τούτοις κατήφειαν· ἐκδεχόμεναι διά παντός, ἄλλο μέν οὐδέν, μόνην δέ τήν ἐπί τῇ θείᾳ ψήφῳ δικαίαν κατάκρισιν. Ταύτην συνίστησι τήν λύπην ἡ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐλπίς· ἡ τῆς φοβερᾶς καί πανενδόξου παρουσίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ μεγαλειότης· ἡ φρικωδεστάτη τῆς κρίσεως ἡμέρα, κατά διάνοιαν συνεχῶς μελετωμένη· καθ᾿ ἥν οὐρανός τε καί γῆ, καί πᾶς ὁ τῶν ὁρωμένων διάκοσμος ῥοιζηδόν παρελεύσεται· στοιχείων καυσουμένων καί λυομένων τῷ ἀπλέτῳ πυρί, προκαθαίροντι διά τήν ἐπίβασιν τοῦ καθαροῦ, τήν ὑφ᾿ ἡμῶν ῥυποθεῖσαν κτίσιν· ἐν ᾗ θρόνοι προτίθενται, καί Παλαιός ἡμερῶν προκαθέζεται, καί τά τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων καί ἀρχαγγέλων ἄπειρα τάγματα, μετά φόβου καί τρόμου λειτουργικῶς παρεστήκασι· καί πᾶσα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις εἰς ἐξέτασιν ἄγεται· καί βίβλοι ἀνοίγονται τῶν ἡμετέρων ἔργων τε καί λόγων καί λογισμῶν, ἔχουσαι μετά πάσης ἀκριβείας τά ἔγγραφα. ∆ι᾿ ὧν ἡ πάντων γίνεται γύμνωσις τῶν πεπραγμένων ἡμῖν ἐπί πάσης τῆς κτίσεως· ὥστε τοσοῦτον ἀλλήλων πάντας γινώσκειν τάς ἁμαρτίας, ὅσον ἕκαστος τάς ἑαυτοῦ, τήν βίβλον ἁπλανῶς ἀναγινώσκων τῆς ἑαυτοῦ συνειδήσεως· καθ᾿ ἥν οἱ μέν ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ Κριτοῦ σταθέντες, λήψονται τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων ἀγαθῶν τάς ἐπαγγελίας· οἱ δέ τήν ἀριστεράν