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to desire glory is contrary to nature; for to God alone, who is by nature glorious, is due the glory from all His creatures, but for us, it is to be humble before God as our creator and before one another because of the law of the creator. For this is the proof of love for God and for neighbor, which is the law of God: "For you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself," and "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Therefore, to love the glory that comes from one another establishes unbelief. "For," he says, "you cannot believe in me, receiving glory from one another and not seeking the glory of the only God." 84 Again: Bodily pleasure, food and drink and the rest, when partaken of according to natural use and the law of the creator, are good, but when they occur contrary to the law of God, according to our own judgment and misuse, they are evil. For example, food and drink, insofar as they are for living and the sustenance of the body, are good, likewise also sleep and the use of a wife, to know one's own vessel, is good, but to use food and drink and women indiscriminately for irrational pleasures, in the manner of irrational animals, is wicked. 85 Therefore, because of vainglory and because of immoderate food and drink and fornication come avarice, the support of these things, and also envy and strife and wickedness and falsehood and slanders and robbery and murders and hatred toward one's neighbor. "For because lawlessness will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold." And he said "many" are those who have made use of lawlessness. From natural things, therefore, come unnatural things when the devil attacks. 86 Against all these things, two greatest ways are available to us for help: to force ourselves—for force is a sign of love for God—and prayer; for prayer is a sign of humility. For recognizing our own weakness, we call upon the power of God. But one must know that not judging also redeems from sin; for not judging is a sign of humility. Nothing so much calls forth the help of God as humility. "Behold," he says, "my humility and the labor of my struggle and forgive all my sins," and "behold my humility and deliver me," that is, from the enemy who wars against me and from my sin and my foolishness. And living with virtuous people also contributes to virtue—for man is an imitative creature—and abstaining from sensory interaction with things that provoke; for as far from the eyes, so far also from the heart. For through them the memory of sensible things comes to the soul. But our task is to separate the mind from the memory of sensible things, so that with a light wing it may fly up to the intelligible sun and be illumined by its unapproachable and ineffable beauty. For the mind is thickened by the memory of sensible things and is dragged down to them and stands aloof from the understanding and enjoyment of intelligible beauty; "for no one can serve two masters." By habit, persistence, and force people master every art. 87 Therefore, through force that comes from love and prayer that comes from humility and avoidance of sensible things and fleeing cohabitation with the more careless and not judging and humility and associating with the virtuous and obedience, let us work out our own salvation, not concealing our thoughts and the passions within us. For everything hidden is worthless, but what is revealed is light. For a serpent does not give birth in the sun, but in holes, nor does a seed grow lying upon the earth, but being hidden under the earth. So also wicked thoughts, when not made public, bear fruit unto corruption, and good ones unto eternal life. May we all be granted to attain this by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father together with the all-holy and good and

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δόξης ἐφίεσθαι παρὰ φύσιν· θεῷ γὰρ μόνῳ τῷ φύσει δοξαστῷ πρέπει ἡ παρὰ πάντων τῶν κτισμάτων αὐτοῦ δόξα, ἡμῖν δὲ τὸ ταπεινοῦσθαι θεῷ ὡς δημιουργῷ καὶ ἀλλήλοις διὰ τὸν νόμον τοῦ κτίσαντος. Τοῦτο γὰρ τῆς πρὸς θεὸν ἀγάπης καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸν πλησίον τεκμήριον, ὃς νόμος θεοῦ ἐστιν· «Ἀγαπήσεις γὰρ κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς ἑαυτόν», καὶ «πᾶς ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται, ὁ δὲ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτὸν ὑψωθήσεται». Ὥστε τὸ ἀγαπᾶν τὴν παρ' ἀλλήλων δόξαν ἀπιστίαν συνίστησιν. «Οὐ δύνασθε» γάρ, φησί, «πιστεύειν εἰς ἐμὲ δόξαν παρ' ἀλλήλων λαμβάνοντες καὶ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ μόνου θεοῦ οὐ ζητοῦντες.» 84 Πάλιν· Ἡ σωματικὴ ἡδονή, βρῶσις καὶ πόσις καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ κατὰ τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν καὶ τὸν νόμον τοῦ κτίσαντος λαμβανόμενα καλά, παρὰ δὲ τὸν νόμον τοῦ θεοῦ καθ' ἡμετέραν γνώμην καὶ παράχρησιν γινόμενα κακά· οἷον βρῶσις καὶ πόσις, ὅσον πρὸς τὸ ζῆν καὶ σύστασιν τοῦ σώματος, καλά, ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ ὕπνος καὶ ἡ τῆς γυναικὸς χρῆσις, τὸ εἰδέναι τὸ ἴδιον σκεῦος, καλόν, τὸ δὲ πρὸς ἡδονὰς ἀλόγους κεχρῆσθαι βρώσει καὶ πόσει καὶ γυναιξὶν ἀδιαφόρως ἀλόγων δίκην πονηρόν. 85 ∆ιὰ οὖν τὴν κενὴν δόξαν καὶ διὰ τὴν ἄμετρον βρῶσιν καὶ πόσιν καὶ τὰς πορνείας ἡ φιλαργυρία, τὸ τούτων ἔρεισμα, φθόνοι τε καὶ ἔριδες καὶ πονηρίαι καὶ ψεῦδος καὶ συκοφαντίαι καὶ ἁρπαγαὶ καὶ φόνοι καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον μῖσος. «∆ιὰ γὰρ τὸ πληθυνθῆναι τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐψύγη ἡ ἀγάπη τῶν πολλῶν.» Πολλοὺς δὲ ἔφη τοὺς κεχρημένους τῇ ἀνομίᾳ. Ἐκ τῶν φυσικῶν οὖν ἔρχονται τὰ παρὰ φύσιν τοῦ διαβόλου προσβάλλοντος. 86 Πρὸς πάντα ταῦτα δύο δὲ ἡμῖν τρόποι μέγιστοι πρὸς βοήθειαν, τὸ βιάζεσθαι ἑαυτούς-ἔνδειγμα γὰρ ἀγάπης πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἡ βία- καὶ ἡ προσευχή· ἔνδειγμα γὰρ ταπεινώσεως ἡ προσευχή. Ἐπιγινώσκοντες γὰρ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσθένειαν τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπικαλούμεθα δύναμιν. ∆εῖ δὲ εἰδέναι, ὅτι καὶ τὸ μὴ κρίνειν λυτροῦται ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας· τὸ γὰρ μὴ κρίνειν ταπεινώσεως σημεῖον. Οὐδὲν οὕτως προσκαλεῖται τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ βοήθειαν ὡς ἡ ταπείνωσις. «Ἴδε» γάρ, φησί, «τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου καὶ τὸν κόπον τῆς βίας μου καὶ ἄφες πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου,» καὶ «ἴδε τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου καὶ ἐξελοῦ με,» δηλονότι ἐκ τοῦ πολεμοῦντός με ἐχθροῦ καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἀφροσύνης μου. Συμβάλλεται δὲ πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ ἡ μετὰ ἐναρέτων διαγωγή-μιμητικὸν γὰρ ζῷον ὁ ἄνθρωπος-καὶ τὸ ἀπέχεσθαι τῆς κατ' αἴσθησιν ὁμιλίας τῶν ἐρεθιζόντων· ὅσον γὰρ ἀπὸ ὀφθαλμῶν, τοσοῦτον καὶ ἀπὸ καρδίας. ∆ι' αὐτῶν γὰρ ἡ μνήμη τῶν αἰσθητῶν τῇ ψυχῇ γίνεται. Πρόκειται δὲ ἡμῖν, χωρίσαι τὸν νοῦν τῆς μνήμης τῶν αἰσθητῶν, ἵνα κούφῳ πτερῷ πρὸς τὸν νοητὸν ἀναπτῇ ἥλιον καὶ τῷ ἀπροσίτῳ καὶ ἀμηχάνῳ αὐτοῦ κάλλει καταυγασθῇ. Παχύνεται γὰρ νοῦς ὑπὸ τῆς μνήμης τῶν αἰσθητῶν καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰ καθέλκεται καὶ ἀφίσταται τῆς κατανοήσεως καὶ ἀπολαύσεως τοῦ νοητοῦ κάλλους· «οὐδεὶς γὰρ δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν.» Ἔθει κατορθοῦσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι πᾶσαν τέχνην καὶ ἐπιμονῇ καὶ βίᾳ. 87 ∆ιὰ βίας οὖν τῆς ἐξ ἀγάπης γινομένης καὶ προσευχῆς τῆς ἐκ ταπεινώσεως καὶ ἀποφυγῆς τῶν αἰσθητῶν καὶ τοῦ φυγεῖν τὴν τῶν ἀμελεστέρων συνοίκησιν καὶ τοῦ μὴ κρίνειν καὶ ταπεινώσεως καὶ τῆς τῶν ἐναρέτων συναναστροφῆς καὶ ὑπακοῆς τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν κατεργασώμεθα, μὴ κρύπτοντες τοὺς λογισμοὺς καὶ τὰ ἐν ἡμῖν πάθη. Πᾶν γὰρ κρυπτὸν φαῦλον, τὸ δὲ φανερούμενον φῶς ἐστιν. Οὐ γὰρ γεννᾷ ὄφις ἐν ἡλίῳ, ἀλλ' ἐν φωλεοῖς, οὐδὲ σπόρος αὐξάνει ὑπὲρ γῆς κείμενος, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ γῆν κρυπτόμενος. Οὕτω καὶ οἱ πονηροὶ λογισμοὶ μὴ δημοσιευόμενοι καρποφοροῦσιν εἰς φθορὰν καὶ οἱ ἀγαθοὶ εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν χάριτι τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ πατρὶ ἡ δόξα ἅμα τῷ παναγίῳ καὶ ἀγαθῷ καὶ