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As long as the Lord preserves us, all our friends also surround us, and all our enemies are powerless against us. But when the Lord abandons us, then all our friends also abandon us, and all our enemies prevail against us. But he who trusts in himself will fall a great fall; but he who fears the Lord will be exalted. For this reason David said: "For I will not trust in my bow, and my sword will not save me. For you have saved us from those who afflict us, and you have put to shame those who hate us.”

44 (44th). Let us not endure the thoughts that minimize our sins, and that prophesy their forgiveness has already occurred. For concerning them the Lord, securing us, said: "Beware of false prophets, who will come to you in sheep's clothing; but inwardly, they are ravenous wolves." For as long as our mind is troubled by sin, we have not yet obtained its forgiveness; for we have not yet produced fruits worthy of repentance. The fruit of repentance is dispassion of the soul; and dispassion is the wiping away of sin. But we do not yet have perfect dispassion, at times being troubled by the passions, and at other times not being troubled. Therefore we have not completely obtained the forgiveness of sins. For (14__440> we have been freed from ancestral sin through holy baptism, but from that which was dared after baptism we are freed through repentance.

45 (45th). Let us therefore repent genuinely, so that being freed from the passions we may obtain the forgiveness of sins. Let us despise temporary things, so that by fighting with men over them we do not transgress the commandment of love, and fall away from the love of God. "Let us walk by the Spirit, and we shall not fulfill the desire of the flesh.” Let us be vigilant, let us be sober, let us cast off henceforth the sleep of negligence. Let us emulate the holy athletes of the Savior; let us imitate their struggles, forgetting the things [which are] behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before. Let us imitate their unceasing course, their fervent zeal, the endurance of their continence, the sanctification of their sobriety, the nobility of their patience, the forbearance of their long-suffering, the pity of their compassion, the tranquility of their meekness, the warmth of their zeal, the sincerity of their love, the height of their humility, the simplicity of their poverty, their courage, their goodness, their equity.

Let us not be supine in pleasures, let us not be slack in our thoughts, let us not defile our conscience, let us pursue peace with all and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. And besides these things, let us flee the world, brothers, (14__442> and the ruler of the world. Let us abandon the flesh, and the things of the flesh. Let us run up to heaven; there let us have our citizenship. Let us imitate the divine Apostle, let us lay hold of the Author of life, let us enjoy the fount of life. Let us dance with angels, with archangels let us praise our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom be glory and power together with the Father and with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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ἐφ᾽ ὅσον ὁ Κύριος συντηρεῖ ἡμᾶς, καὶ οἱ φίλοι πάντες ἡμᾶς περιέπουσι, καὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ πάντες πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀδυνατοῦσιν. Ἐπὰν δὲ ὁ Κύριος ἡμᾶς ἐγκαταλείπῃ, τότε καὶ οἱ φίλοι πάντες ἐγκαταλείπουσι, καὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ πάντες καθ᾽ ἡμῶν ἰσχύουσιν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ εἰς ἑαυτὸν θαρρῶν, πεσεῖται πτῶμα ἐξαίσιον· ὁ δὲ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον ὑψωθήσεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἔλεγεν· "Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ τόξῳ μου ἐλπιῶ, καὶ ἡ ῥομφαία μου οὐ σώσει με. Ἔσωσας γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῶν θλιβόντων ἡμᾶς, καὶ τοὺς μισοῦντας ἡμᾶς κατήσχυνας».

44 (μδ'). Μὴ ἀνασχώμεθα τῶν λογισμῶν τῶν σμικρυνόντων ἡμῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ τὴν ἄφεσιν αὐτῶν γεγονέναι μαντευομένων. Περὶ αὐτῶν γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ἀσφαλιζόμενος ἡμᾶς ἔλεγε· "Προσέχετε ἑαυτοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν, οἵτινες ἐλεύσονται πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν ἐνδύμασι προβάτων· ἔσωθεν δέ, εἰσὶ λύκοι ἅρπαγες". Ἐφ᾽ ὅσον γὰρ ὁ νοῦς ἡμῶν ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὀχλεῖται, οὔπω τῆς συγχωρήσεως αὐτῆς ἐτύχομεν· οὐδέπω γὰρ καρποὺς ἀξίους τῆς μετανοίας πεποιήκαμεν. Καρπὸς μετανοίας ἐστὶν ἀπάθεια ψυχῆς· ἀπάθεια δέ, ἐξάλειψις ἁμαρτίας. Οὔπω δὲ ἔχομεν τελείαν ἀπάθειαν, ποτὲ μὲν ὀχλούμενοι ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν, ποτὲ δὲ μὴ ὀχλούμενοι. Οὐκ ἄρα τῆς τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἀφέσεως τελείως ἐτύχομεν. Τῆς (14__440> μὲν γὰρ προγονικῆς ἁμαρτίας διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος ἐλευθερώθημεν, τῆς δὲ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα τολμηθείσης διὰ τῆς μετανοίας ἐλευθερούμεθα.

45 (με'). Μετανοήσωμεν οὖν γνησίως, ἵνα τῶν παθῶν ἐλευθερούμενοι τῆς τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἀφέσεως τύχωμεν. Περι φρονήσωμεν τῶν προσκαίρων, ἵνα μὴ δι᾽ αὐτὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μαχόμενοι τὴν ἐντολὴν τῆς ἀγάπης παραβῶμεν, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγάπης ἐκπέσωμεν. "Πνεύματι περιπατῶμεν, καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκὸς οὐ μὴ τελέσομεν». Γρηγορήσωμεν, νήψωμεν, ἀποβάλωμεν λοιπὸν τὸν ὕπνον τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας. Ζηλώσωμεν τοὺς ἁγίους ἀθλητὰς τοῦ Σωτῆρος· μιμησώμεθα αὐτῶν τοὺς ἀγῶνας, τῶν [μὲν] ὄπισθεν ἐπιλανθανόμενοι, τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενοι. Μιμησώμεθα τὸν ἀκατάπαυστον αὐτῶν δρόμον, τὴν ζέουσαν προθυμίαν, τῆς ἐγκρατείας τὴν καρτερίαν, τῆς σωφροσύνης τὸν ἁγιασμόν, τῆς ὑπομονῆς τὴν γενναιότητα, τῆς μακροθυμίας τὴν ἀνοχήν, τῆς συμπαθείας τὸν οἶκτον, τῆς πραΰτητος τὸ ἀτάραχον, τοῦ ζήλου τὴν θερμότητα, τῆς ἀγάπης τὸ ἀνυπόκριτον, τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης τὸ ὕψος, τῆς ἀκτημοσύνης τὸ ἀπέριττον, τὴν ἀνδρείαν, τὴν χρηστότητα, τὴν ἐπιείκειαν.

Μὴ ὑπτιωθῶμεν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς, μὴ χαυνωθῶμεν τοῖς λογισμοῖς, μὴ ῥυπώσωμεν τὴν συνείδησιν, τὴν εἰρήνην διώκωμεν μετὰ πάντων καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμόν· οὗ χωρὶς οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν Κύριον. Καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις φύγωμεν τὸν κόσμον, ἀδελφοί, (14__442> καὶ τὸν κοσμοκράτορα. Καταλείψωμεν τὴν σάρκα, καὶ τὰ σαρκικά. Εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀναδράμωμεν· ἐκεῖ ἕξωμεν ἡμῶν τὸ πολίτευμα. Τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον μιμησώμεθα, τὸν Ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς καταλάβωμεν, τῆς πηγῆς τῆς ζωῆς ἀπολαύσωμεν. Σὺν ἀγγέλοις χορεύσωμεν, σὺν ἀρχαγγέλοις ὑμνήσωμεν τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν· ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος ἅμα τῷ Πατρὶ σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεί, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.