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let us take refuge, and from him let us ask all things. For nothing is equal to prayer; for it makes the impossible possible, the difficult easy, and the troublesome straightforward. This the blessed David also accomplished; wherefore he also said: Seven times a day I have praised you for the judgments of your righteousness. But if a king, a man immersed in countless cares, and pulled from every side, so many times a day called upon God, what defense or excuse could we have, who have so much leisure, and do not continually beseech him, and this when we are about to reap so great a profit? For it is impossible, impossible, for a person who prays with fitting earnestness and continually calls upon God, ever to sin. And how, I will tell you. He who has warmed his mind, and raised up his soul, and removed himself to heaven, and has thus called upon his own Master, and has remembered his sins, and has spoken with him about their forgiveness, and has begged him to be merciful and gentle, from his engagement in these words he lays aside all worldly care, and is given wings, and becomes higher than human passions; even if he sees an enemy after the prayer, he will no longer see him as an enemy; even if a beautiful woman, he will not be broken by the sight, because the fire of the prayer remains within, and pushes away every improper thought. But since, being human, it is likely to fall into indolence, when one and a second and a third hour pass after the prayer, and you see the warmth that came to you about to ebb away little by little, run quickly again to prayer, and warm your mind which has grown cold. And if you do this throughout the whole day, warming up the intervals in between with the frequency of prayers, you will not give the devil an occasion and an entrance against your thoughts. And what we do when preparing a meal and about to drink, when we see the heated water has grown cold, we place it on the hearth again, so that it may be warmed up quickly; let us do this here also, and as if on coals, placing our mouth to the prayer, let us thus rekindle our mind to devotion, and let us imitate the builders. For they too, when about to build with bricks, because of the crumbling nature of the material, brace the structure with long timbers, and they do not do this at a great interval, but at a small one, so that by the density of these timbers they may make the joining of the bricks more secure. Do you this also, and all the 54.667 acts of life, as with certain timber braces, interspersing them with the continuity of prayers, fence in your life on all sides. If therefore you do this, even if ten thousand winds should then blow, whether temptations, or despondencies, or any unpleasant thoughts, or whatever dreadful thing may come, it will not be able to cast down that house which is bound together by such frequent prayers. And how is it possible, he says, for a worldly man, tied to the court, to pray every three hours of the day, and to run to church? It is possible, and very easy; for even if it is not easy to run to the church, it is possible to pray while standing there before the doors and tied to the court; for there is not so much need of voice as of mind, nor of outstretched hands as of a fervent soul, nor of posture, but of intent; since Hannah herself was heard not because she uttered a clear and loud voice, but because she cried out great things within her heart. For her voice was not heard, it says, yet God heard her. This many others have also often done, and while the ruler within was shouting, threatening, straining, raging, they, standing before the doors, having signed themselves, and having prayed a few words in their mind, went in and changed him and soothed him, and made him gentle from being savage; and they were hindered in this prayer neither by the place, nor by the time, nor by silence. 6. Do this then also yourself; groan bitterly, remember your sins,

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καταφεύγωμεν, καὶ παρ' ἐκείνου πάντα αἰτῶμεν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ εὐχῆς ἴσον· καὶ γὰρ τὰ ἀδύνατα αὕτη ποιεῖ δυνατὰ, καὶ τὰ δύσκολα ῥᾴδια, καὶ τὰ δυσχερῆ εὐθέα καθίστησι. Ταύτην καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ κατώρθου· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Ἑπτάκις τῆς ἡμέρας ᾔνησά σε ἐπὶ τὰ κρίματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου. Εἰ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀνὴρ μυρίαις βαπτιζόμενος φροντίσι, καὶ πανταχόθεν περιελκόμενος, τοσαυτάκις τῆς ἡμέρας παρεκάλει τὸν Θεὸν, τινὰ ἂν ἔχοιμεν ἀπολογίαν ἢ συγγνώμην ἡμεῖς, τοσαύτην σχολὴν ἄγοντες, καὶ μὴ συνεχῶς αὐτὸν ἱκετεύοντες, καὶ ταῦτα τοσοῦτον μέλλοντες καρποῦσθαι κέρδος; Ἀμήχανον γὰρ, ἀμήχανον, ἄνθρωπον μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης προθυμίας εὐχόμενον, καὶ παρακαλοῦντα τὸν Θεὸν συνεχῶς, ἁμαρτεῖν ποτε. Καὶ πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω. Ὁ διαθερμάνας αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀναστήσας, καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἑαυτὸν μετοικίσας, καὶ οὕτω τὸν ∆εσπότην τὸν ἑαυτοῦ καλέσας, καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀναμνησθεὶς, καὶ περὶ τῆς συγχωρήσεως τούτων αὐτῷ διαλεχθεὶς, καὶ παρακαλέσας ἵλεων γενέσθαι καὶ ἥμερον, ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις διατριβῆς πᾶσαν ἀποτίθεται βιωτικὴν φροντίδα, καὶ πτεροῦται, καὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων παθῶν ὑψηλότερος γίνεται· κἂν ἐχθρὸν ἴδῃ μετὰ τὴν εὐχὴν, οὐκ ἔτι ὡς ἐχθρὸν ὄψεται· κἂν γυναῖκα εὔμορφον, οὐ κατακλασθήσεται πρὸς τὴν ὄψιν, τοῦ πυρὸς τοῦ κατὰ τὴν εὐχὴν ἔνδον μένοντος, καὶ πάντα ἄτοπον λογισμὸν διωθουμένου. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ἀνθρώπους ὄντας εἰκὸς καὶ εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐμπεσεῖν, ἐπειδὰν παρέλθῃ μία καὶ δευτέρα ὥρα καὶ τρίτη μετὰ τὴν εὐχὴν, καὶ ἴδῃς τὴν γενομένην σοι θερμότητα κατὰ μικρὸν ὑποῤῥεῖν μέλλουσαν, δράμε ταχέως πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν εὐχὴν, καὶ καταψυγεῖσάν σου τὴν διάνοιαν θέρμανον. Κἂν τοῦτο ποιῇς διὰ πάσης τῆς ἡμέρας, τὰ μεταξὺ διαλείμματα τῇ πυκνότητι τῶν εὐχῶν διαθερμαίνων, οὐ δώσεις τῷ διαβόλῳ ἀφορμὴν καὶ εἴσοδον κατὰ τῶν σῶν λογισμῶν. Καὶ ὅπερ ἀριστοποιούμενοι καὶ πίνειν μέλλοντες ποιοῦμεν, ἐπειδὰν ἴδωμεν τὸ θερμανθὲν ὕδωρ καταψυγὲν, ἐπὶ τῆς ἐσχάρας αὐτὸ τίθεμεν πάλιν, ὥστε διαθερμανθῆναι ταχέως· τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα ποιῶμεν, καὶ καθάπερ ἐπ' ἀνθράκων, τῆς εὐχῆς, τιθέντες ἡμῶν τὸ στόμα, οὕτω πάλιν ἀνάπτωμεν ἡμῶν τὴν διάνοιαν εἰς εὐλάβειαν, καὶ μιμώμεθα τοὺς οἰκοδόμους. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι πλίνθους μέλλοντες οἰκοδομεῖν, διὰ τὸ τῆς ὕλης σαθρὸν ξύλοις μακροῖς ἀποσφίγγουσι τὴν οἰκοδομὴν, καὶ οὐδὲ διὰ πολλοῦ τοῦτο ποιοῦσι τοῦ διαστήματος, ἀλλὰ δι' ὀλίγου, ἵνα τῇ πυκνότητι τῶν ξύλων τούτων ἀσφαλεστέραν τὴν συνθήκην τῶν πλίνθων ἐργάσωνται. Τοῦτο καὶ σὺ ποίησον, καὶ τὰς βιω 54.667 τικὰς πράξεις ἁπάσας, καθάπερ ἱμαντώσεσί τισι ξύλων, τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῶν εὐχῶν διαλαμβάνων, πάντοθέν σου περίφραξον τὴν ζωήν. Ἂν τοίνυν οὕτω ποιῇς, κἂν μυρίοι πνεύσωσιν ἄνεμοι λοιπὸν, κἂν πειρασμοὶ κἂν ἀθυμίαι, κἂν λογισμοί τινες ἀηδεῖς, κἂν ὁτιοῦν ἐπέλθῃ δεινὸν, οὐ δυνήσεται καταβαλεῖν τὴν οἰκίαν ἐκείνην πυκναῖς οὕτως εὐχαῖς συνδεδεμένην. Καὶ πῶς δυνατὸν, φησὶν, ἄνθρωπον βιωτικὸν, δικαστηρίῳ προσηλωμένον, κατὰ τρεῖς ὥρας εὔχεσθαι τῆς ἡμέρας, καὶ εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἐκτρέχειν; ∆υνατὸν, καὶ σφόδρα εὔκολον· κἂν γὰρ εἰς ἐκκλησίαν δραμεῖν μὴ ῥᾴδιον, ἑστῶτα ἐκεῖ πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν, καὶ τῷ δικαστηρίῳ προσηλωμένον εὔξασθαι δυνατόν· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτω φωνῆς χρεία, ὡς διανοίας, οὐδὲ ἐκτάσεως χειρῶν, ὡς συντεταμένης ψυχῆς, οὐδὲ σχήματος, ἀλλὰ φρονήματος· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ Ἄννα αὕτης, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ λαμπρὰν καὶ μεγάλην ἀφῆκε φωνὴν, διὰ τοῦτο ἠκούετο, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μεγάλα ἔνδον κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν ἐβόα. Ἡ φωνὴ γὰρ αὐτῆς οὐκ ἠκούετο, φησὶ, καὶ εἰσήκουεν αὐτῆς ὁ Θεός. Τοῦτο καὶ ἄλλοι πολλοὶ πολλάκις ἐποίησαν, καὶ βοῶντος τοῦ ἄρχοντος ἔνδοθεν, ἀπειλοῦντος, διατεινομένου, μαινομένου, πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἑστῶτες σφραγισάμενοι, καὶ ὀλίγα ῥήματα κατὰ διάνοιαν εὐξάμενοι, εἰσελθόντες μετέβαλον αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπράϋναν, καὶ ἥμερον ἐξ ἀγρίου κατέστησαν· καὶ οὐδὲν οὔτε ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου, οὔτε ἀπὸ τοῦ καιροῦ, οὔτε ἀπὸ τῆς σιγῆς πρὸς τὴν εὐχὴν ταύτην ἐνεποδίσθησαν. ςʹ. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ σὺ ποίησον· στέναξον πικρῶς, ἀναμνήσθητι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τῶν σῶν,