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Therefore I am persuaded and wish to be a disciple, rather, serving the will of one, hearing the words of one, and on behalf of this one alone to render an account, than to be a slave to the ways and wills of the many (84) and to search out their opinions and discover their counsels and track down their actions and thoughts besides, since judgment awaits me and I am about to give an account for those who have sinned, whom I alone was chosen to shepherd by the ineffable words of God. For each person will be judged and will certainly give an account for what he himself has done, whether good or bad, but I alone will provide an account for each one; and how do I wish to be saved or how to receive mercy, I who have no work at all to show for the salvation even of my own one wretched soul? For indeed, be assured, I have nothing to say, for I have never done any work, small or great, through which I am to be saved from the eternal fire. But O philanthropic Savior, compassionate, merciful, give me, the humble one, divine power, so that by the word, I may shepherd with understanding those whom you have given me as brothers, guide them to the pastures of your divine laws and bring them safely to the mansions of the kingdom above, safe, unharmed, radiant in the beauty of the virtues, and worthy worshippers of your awesome throne; and receive me, the unworthy one, from the world, even though I am branded with the many outrages of my sins, but nevertheless as your servant and unprofitable slave, and number me among the choirs of the elect, whom you know by your judgments, together with my disciples, so that all together we may see your divine glory and revel in your ineffable good things, O Christ. For you are the enjoyment, the delight, and the glory of those who love you fervently for ages of ages; amen.

15.

How, on seeing the glory of God, he was energized by the All-holy Spirit, and that the Divine is both within and without all things, but also both comprehensible and incomprehensible to the worthy, and that we are the house of David, and that into many

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πείθομαι οὖν βούλομαι μαθητής εἶναι μᾶλλον ἑνός δουλεύων θέλημα, ἑνός ἀκούων λόγους, καί ὑπέρ τούτου τοῦ ἑνός μόνον ὑφέξειν λόγους, ἤ τρόποις καί θελήμασι δουλεύειν τῶν πλειόνων (84) καί τούτων γνώμας ἐρευνᾶς καί βουλάς ἐξευρίσκειν καί πράξεις τε καί λογισμούς ἐξιχνιάζειν πλέον, ἐπεί καί κρίσις μένει με καί δοῦναι μέλλω λόγους, ἀνθ᾿ ὧνπερ ἡμαρτήκασιν, οὕς ἔγωγε ποιμαίνειν λόγοις ἀρρήτοις τοῦ Θεοῦ πάντως ᾑρέθην μόνος. Ἕκαστος γάρ κριθήσεται καί λόγους πάντως δώσει, ὧν ἔπραξεν αὐτός, εἴ τι χρηστόν ἤ φαῦλον, ὑπέρ ἑκάστου λόγον δέ μόνος ἐγώ παρέξω˙ καί πῶς σωθῆναι βούλομαι ἤ πῶς ἐλεηθῆναι, ὁ μηδέ κἄν ὑπέρ ἐμῆς μιᾶς ψυχῆς ἀθλίας ἔχων ὅλως ἐνδείξασθαι ἔργον πρός σωτηρίαν; Καί γάρ, πληροφορήθητι, οὐκ ἔχων, ὅ,τι φράσσω, οὐδέ γάρ ἔπραξά ποτε ἔργον μικρόν ἤ μέγα, δι᾿ οὗ καί μέλλω σῴζεσθαι πυρός τοῦ αἰωνίου. Ἀλλ᾿ ὦ φιλάνθρωπε Σωτήρ, εὔσπλαγχνε, ἐλεήμων, θείαν μοι δός τῷ ταπεινῷ δύναμιν, ὥστε λόγῳ, οὕς δέδωκάς μοι ἀδελφούς, ποιμαίνειν ἐν συνέσει, καθοδηγεῖν ἐπί νομάς τῶν νόμων σου τῶν θείων καί ἀνασῴζειν εἰς μονάς τῆς ἄνω βασιλείας σώους, ἀπήμονας, φαιδρούς τῶν ἀρετῶν τῷ κάλλει, ἀξίους τε προσκυνητάς τοῦ φοβεροῦ σου θρόνου˙ κἀμέ δέ τόν ἀνάξιον προσλαβοῦ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου, εἰ καί κατάστικτον πολλαῖς ἁμαρτιῶν αἰκίαις, ἀλλ᾿ ὅμως λάτριν ἅμα σόν καί ἀχρεῖον οἰκέτην, καί τοῖς χοροῖς τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν, οἷς κρίμασι γινώσκεις, συγκαταρίθμησον ὁμοῦ μετά τῶν μαθητῶν μου, ἵν᾿ ἅμα πάντες βλέπωμεν τήν δόξαν σου τήν θείαν καί τῶν ἀφράστων σου, Χριστέ, ἀγαθῶν ἐντρυφῶμεν. Σύ γάρ εἶ ἡ ἀπόλαυσις, ἡ τρυφή καί τό κλέος τῶν ἀγαπώντων σε θερμῶς εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων˙ ἀμήν.

ΙΕ'.

Ὅπως βλέπων τήν δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνηργεῖτο ὑπό τοῦ Παναγίου Πνεύματος, καί ὅτι τό Θεῖον ἐντός καί ἐκτός ἐστι τοῦ παντός, ἀλλά καί ληπτόν τε καί ἄληπτον τοῖς ἀξίοις, καί ὅτι οἶκος ∆αυίδ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν, καί ὅτι εἰς πολλά