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to be troubled by carnal desire, but indeed all the passions and every wicked desire are put to flight, since pain leaves no room for those passions; in this very same way, those who have dedicated themselves to Christ have been so nailed to Him and have laughed at bodily necessities, as though they had crucified themselves with their passions and their desires. 4.29 Therefore, those who have become Christ’s and have put Him on and have been deemed worthy of His spiritual food and drink, let us so regulate ourselves as having nothing in common with the affairs of the present life. For we have been enrolled in another commonwealth, in the Jerusalem above. Therefore, I beseech you, let us display works worthy of that commonwealth so that both by the ways in which we ourselves pursue virtue and by the ways in which we summon others to the praise of the Master, we may draw down abundant goodwill from above. For when our Master is glorified, He himself also pours out His gifts upon us with great abundance, since he has accepted our gratitude and knows that He does not bestow his benefits on the ungrateful and unknowing. 4.30 I know that I have made the discourse long. But forgive me; my great affection for you has extended our teaching to this length. For seeing your spiritual wealth and knowing the madness of the evil demon and that now especially you need much security and protection, for this reason I have given this advice so that each day you may be sober and watchful and show perpetual vigilance and guard over this your spiritual treasure, so that the enemy of our salvation may not be able to find any way to slip in. 4.31 Therefore, the covenants which you made with the Master, not having written them with ink or on paper but with faith and confession, keeping them firm and unshaken, strive to remain in the same brightness for all the time of your life. For it is possible, if we wish to contribute continually from our own resources, not only to remain in the same splendor but also to make the robe of these spiritual garments brighter for us, since even Paul after the grace of baptism, the more time went on, the more brilliant and bright he was shown to be, as grace flowered upon him. 4.32 Therefore, let us also be eager each day to examine lest this bright garment of ours receive any spot or wrinkle, but let us exercise great watchfulness even over things considered small so that we may be able to escape also the great sins. For if we begin to despise some things as trivial, proceeding little by little on our way, we will arrive also at the great offenses. Therefore, I beseech you to carry always in your mind the memory of the covenants and of all that you have renounced, I mean the diabolical pomps and all the other wiles of the evil one, to flee continually from the corruption of these things and to keep intact the covenants with Christ, so that by continually enjoying these spiritual banquets and being strengthened by the nourishment from here, you may become invincible to the devil’s schemes. 4.33 And through the best conduct may you draw down so much grace from the Spirit that you may be unconquerable and the church of God may leap and rejoice at your progress and the Master of us all may be glorified and we all may be deemed worthy of the kingdom of heaven; by the grace and mercies and love for mankind of His only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, might, honor, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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ὑπὸ σαρκικῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐνοχληθῆναι ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πάθη πάντα καὶ ἐπιθυμία πᾶσα πονηρὰ φυγαδεύεται, τῆς ὀδύνης οὐδεμίαν χώραν ἐκείνοις τοῖς πάθεσι παρεχούσης, τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον καὶ οἱ τῷ Χριστῷ ἑαυτοὺς ἀναθέντες οὕτως αὐτῷ προσηλώθησαν καὶ κατεγέλασαν τῶν σωματικῶν ἀναγκῶν ὡσανεὶ σταυρώσαντες ἑαυτοὺς μετὰ τῶν παθῶν καὶ τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν. 4.29 Οἱ τοίνυν τοῦ Χριστοῦ γενόμενοι καὶ αὐτὸν ἐνδυσάμενοι καὶ τῆς τροφῆς αὐτοῦ τῆς πνευματικῆς καὶ τοῦ ποτοῦ καταξιούμενοι, οὕτως ἑαυτοὺς ῥυθμίσωμεν ὡς μηδὲν κοινὸν ἔχοντες πρὸς τὰ τοῦ παρόντος βίου πράγματα. Καὶ γὰρ εἰς ἑτέραν πολιτείαν ἀπεγραψάμεθα, εἰς τὴν ἄνω Ἱερουσαλήμ. ∆ιό, παρακαλῶ, ἄξια τῆς πολιτείας ἐκείνης τὰ ἔργα ἐπιδειξώμεθα ἵνα καὶ δι' ὧν αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν μέτιμεν καὶ δι' ὧν ἑτέρους εἰς τὴν τοῦ δεσπότου δοξολογίαν ἐκκαλούμεθα, πολλὴν τὴν ἄνωθεν εὔνοιαν ἐπισπασώμεθα. Ὅταν γὰρ δεσπότης ἡμῶν δοξάζηται, μετὰ πολλῆς καὶ αὐτὸς δαψιλείας τὰς παρ' ἑαυτοῦ δωρεὰς ἡμῖν ἐκχεῖ, ἅτε ἀποδεξάμενος ἡμῶν τὴν εὐγνωμοσύνην καὶ εἰδὼς ὡς οὐκ εἰς ἀχαρίστους καὶ ἀγνώμονας τὰς παρ' ἑαυτοῦ εὐεργεσίας κατατίθεται. 4.30 Οἶδα ὅτι μακρὸν ἐποίησα τὸν λόγον. Ἀλλὰ σύγγνωτε· ἡ πολλὴ περὶ ὑμᾶς φιλοστοργία εἰς μῆκος ἡμῖν ἐξέτεινε τὴν διδασκαλίαν. Ὁρῶν γὰρ ὑμῶν τὸν πλοῦτον τὸν πνευματικὸν καὶ εἰδὼς τοῦ πονηροῦ δαίμονος τὴν μανίαν καὶ ὅτι νῦν μάλιστα πολλῆς ὑμῖν δεῖ τῆς ἀσφαλείας καὶ τῆς φυλακῆς, διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα παρῄνεσα ὥστε καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν νήφειν καὶ ἐγρηγορέναι καὶ διηνεκῆ τὴν ἀγρυπνίαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι καὶ τὴν φυλακὴν περὶ τὸν θησαυρὸν ὑμῶν τοῦτον τὸν πνευματικόν, ἵνα μηδεμίαν παρείσδυσιν ὁ ἐχθρὸς τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας εὑρεῖν δυνηθῇ. 4.31 Τὰς συνθήκας τοίνυν ἃς πρὸς τὸν δεσπότην ἔθεσθε, οὐ μέλανι οὐδὲ χάρτῃ ταύτας ἐγγράψαντες ἀλλὰ τῇ πίστει καὶ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ, βεβαίους καὶ ἀκινήτους φυλάξαντες, πάντα τὸν τῆς ζωῆς χρόνον ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ φαιδρότητι διαμένειν σπουδάζετε. Ἔξεστι γὰρ ἐὰν βουλώμεθα τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσφέρειν διηνεκῶς, οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς λαμπρότητος μεῖναι ἀλλὰ καὶ φαιδροτέραν ἡμῶν ἐργάσασθαι τῶν ἐνδυμάτων τούτων τῶν πνευματικῶν τὴν περιβολήν, ἐπεὶ καὶ Παῦλος μετὰ τὴν τοῦ βαπτίσματος χάριν ὅσον προῄει ὁ χρόνος, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον λαμπρότερος καὶ φαιδρότερος ἐδείκνυτο, τῆς χάριτος ἐπανθούσης αὐτῷ. 4.32 Καὶ ἡμεῖς τοίνυν σπουδάσωμεν ἐφ' ἑκάστης ἡμέρας περισκοπεῖν μήπου τινὰ σπίλον ἢ ῥυτίδα δέξηται τὸ φαιδρὸν ἡμῶν τοῦτο ἔνδυμα, ἀλλὰ μέχρι τῶν μικρῶν νομιζομένων πολλὴν τὴν παραφυλακὴν ποιώμεθα ἵνα δυνηθῶμεν καὶ τὰ μεγάλα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων διαφυγεῖν. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀρξώμεθα ἐνίων ὡς εὐτελῶν καταφρονεῖν, κατὰ μικρὸν ὁδῷ βαδίζοντες καὶ πρὸς τὰ μεγάλα τῶν πταισμάτων ἥξομεν. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ καὶ τῶν συνθηκῶν ἐπὶ τῆς διανοίας τὴν μνήμην ὑμᾶς ἀεὶ περιφέρειν καὶ πᾶσιν οἷς ἐπετάξασθε, ταῖς πομπαῖς λέγω ταῖς διαβολικαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις πάσαις μεθοδείαις τοῦ πονηροῦ, τούτων διηνεκῶς φεύγειν τὴν λύμην καὶ τὰς πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν συνθήκας ἀκεραίους διαφυλάττειν ἵνα τῶν πνευματικῶν τούτων δείπνων συνεχῶς ἀπολαύοντες καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν τροφῆς νευρούμενοι ἀχείρωτοι γένησθε ταῖς τοῦ διαβόλου μηχαναῖς. 4.33 Καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀρίστης πολιτείας τοσαύτην ἐπισπάσησθε τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν ὡς καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀκαταγωνίστους εἶναι καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκκλησίαν σκιρτᾶν καὶ γεγηθέναι ἐπὶ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ προκοπῇ καὶ τὸν ἁπάντων ἡμῶν δεσπότην δοξάζεσθαι καὶ πάντας ἡμᾶς τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας καταξιωθῆναι· χάριτι καὶ οἰκτιρμοῖς καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ Υἱοῦ κυρίου δὲ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμή, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.