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we said, (189) and possessing the mind unconfused by passionate preconceptions, will prefer and love the maker and master of all things and will lift up to Him alone his entire appetitive faculty, as if somehow showing it and saying to it: "Hear me and see; touch with awe, taste the unblemished sweetness, smell the spiritual myrrh and know that no one is more beautiful or more delightful or sweeter or altogether more powerful or more glorious than this One, nor indeed able to give you life or make you incorruptible or immortalize you." Therefore, when the appetite of man is filled through all these things, then the entire irascible faculty, blended with both the rational and appetitive faculties, the three become one in the contemplation of the triadic unity and in the very delight of their master. For their threefold division is not at all recognized then, but they are in every way one. Whenever then their division, but they are in every way one. Whenever, therefore, from the one and good alone in its simplicity, for the discernment and division of evil and good things, these faculties are turned toward the things here below, then their will and division and turning away toward things contrary to the divine will is shown indivisibly; for the movement of the irascible faculty happens in these things alone.

We had yet more to say than this concerning the stomach and the liver, concerning food, concerning drink, concerning hunger and thirst; but so that I not extend the discourse at length and make public the unutterable things of the discourse to hunters, to those accustomed to grow rich from others' wealth, we have left these things covered in silence for those wishing to seek them out through practical knowledge. But let us return to the subject at hand. Since, therefore, we have fashioned the body of the stature according to Christ up to the belly and stomach, it is necessary also to ascend up to the head until we complete it spiritually, perfect and whole.

Therefore, the chest and back, shoulders, arms, hands (190) and now also the neck we fashion together for this body of spiritual stature. And you will understand the chest to be compassion, in which the breasts of loving-kindness pour forth abundantly the milk of mercy to orphans and widows and all others, according to the saint who says: "Brothers, acquire bowels of compassion." Whence this milk is supplied to the breasts and how it works, I will leave for you to seek. And the back, to eagerly lift the burdens of others upon oneself and to carry about in oneself the marks of the Lord Jesus, as the Apostle says: "You who are strong, bear the burdens of the weak," and again: "Henceforth let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." And the Lord through the prophet: "My back," he says, "I gave to the whips, and my cheeks to blows." Which things, even if the time to suffer them does not come, still it is necessary always to hope and to be prepared for them at every hour. And the shoulders and arms, patient endurance and perseverance in temptations and afflictions, through which and with which the hands are able to work. And by hands I mean the energy and readiness for every obedience and work of God's commandments, which things no one can ever acquire without much patience and perseverance. But in addition to these, this stature also has spiritual hands, through which it comforts the fainthearted, raises up those who are falling, binds up the broken, pouring oil and wine upon them, with which also it does many other things in word and deed for its neighbors each day and touches the fringe of the Master's garment and offers bread to its Lord and gives the cup into His hands. And thus it nourishes (191) the One who nourishes with a nod also every breath, with the food which He said He desires and longs for; and blessed is the one who knows these things and has them and offers them to his master,

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εἴπομεν, (189) καί ἀσύγχυτον ἐκ τῶν ἐμπαθῶν προλήψεων κεκτημένος τόν νοῦν, τόν τῶν ἁπάντων ποιητήν καί δεσπότην προτιμήσει καί ἀγαπήσει καί πρός μόνον ἐκεῖνον ὅλον αὐτοῦ τό ἐπιθυμητικόν ἀνενέγκῃ, οἱονεί πως ὑποδεικνύων αὐτῷ καί λέγων· "Ἄκουσόν μου καί ἴδε· ἅψαι φρικτῶς, γεῦσαι τῆς ἀκηράτου γλυκύτητος, τοῦ πνευματικοῦ ὀσφράνθητι μύρου καί γνῶθι ὡς οὐδείς τούτου ἐστίν ὡραιότερος ἤ τερπνότερος ἤ ἠδύτερος ἤ τό σύνολον δυνατώτερος ἤ ἐνδοξότερος, οὐ μήν ἀλλά γάρ οὐδέ ζωῶσαι ἤ ἀφθαρτῶσαι ἤ ἀπαθανατίσαι σε δυνάμενος". Τοιγαροῦν καί ὅταν διά πάντων τούτων ἡ ἐπιθυμία πληρωθῇ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, τηνικαῦτα καί ὅλον τό θυμικόν τῷ λογιστικῷ τε καί ἐπιθυμητικῷ συγκραθέν, ἕν τά τρία ἐν τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῆς τριαδικῆς ἑνάδος καί ἐν αὐτῆ τῇ τερπνότητι τοῦ ἑαυτῶν γίνονται δεσπότου. Οὐ γάρ ἐπιγινώσκεται ὅλως ἡ τριττή τότε τούτων διαίρεσις, ἀλλ᾿ εἰσίν ἐκ παντός ἕν. Ὁπηνίκα τότε τούτων διαίρεσις, ἀλλ᾿ εἰσίν ἐκ παντός ἕν. Ὁπηνίκα οὖν ἐκ μόνου τοῦ ἑνός καί ἀγαθοῦ τῇ ἁπλότητι, ἐπί τῇ τῶν πονηρῶν καί ἀγαθῶν πραγμάτων διακρίσει καί διαιρέσει, ἐπιστραφῶσιν αἱ δυνάμεις αὗται πρός τά ἐνταῦθα, τηνικαῦτα ἡ τούτων θέλησις καί διαίρεσις καί ἡ πρός τά ἐναντία τῶν θείων θελημάτων ἀποστροφή ἀδιαιρέτως δείκνυται· ἐν γάρ μόνοις τούτοις ἡ τοῦ θυμικοῦ κίνησις γίνεται.

Εἴχομεν ἔτι καί ἕτερα τούτων πλείονα περί στομάχου καί ἥπατος, περί τροφῆς, περί πόσεως, περί πείνης καί δίψης εἰπεῖν· ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα μή μακρόν ἀποτείνω τόν λόγον καί ἔκφορα τά ἀνέκφορα ποιήσω τῶν λόγων τοῖς θηρευταῖς, τοῖς εἰθισμένοις πλουτεῖν ἐξ ἀλλοτρίων χρημάτων, κατελίπομεν ταῦτα τῇ σιωπῇ κεκαλυπτόμενα τοῖς διά τῆς πρακτικῆς γνώσεως ἐκζητεῖν βουλομένοις. Ἀλλ᾿ ἐπί τό προκείμενον ἐπανέλθωμεν. Ἐπεί οὖν μέχρι γαστρός καί στομάχου τό σῶμα τῆς κατά Χριστόν διεπλάσαμεν ἡλικίας, χρεών καί μέχρι τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀνελθεῖν ἕως οὗ ἄρτιον καί σῶον αὐτό πνευματικῶς ἐκπληρώσωμεν.

Στῆθος τοιγαροῦν καί νῶτον, ὤμους, βραχίονας, χεῖρας (190) ἤδη καί τράχηλον τούτῳ τῷ σώματι τῆς πνευματικῆς ἡλικίας συμπλάττομεν. Καί στῆθος μέν ἐπί τούτῳ νοήσεις τήν εὐσπλαγχνίαν, ἐν ᾗ οἱ μαστοί τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τό γάλα τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης ὀρφανοῖς καί χήραις καί πᾶσιν ἄλλοις ἀφθόνως προχέουσι κατά τόν λέγοντα ἅγιον· "Ἀδελφοί, κτήσασθε σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμῶν". Ὅθεν τό γάλα τοῦτο τοῖς μαστοῖς χορηγεῖται καί ὅπως ἐργάζεται, ὑμῖν ἐάσω ζητεῖν. Νῶτον δέ, τό τά ἀλλότρια βάρη ἐφ᾿ ἑαυτόν εὐπροθύμως αἴρειν καί τά στίγματα τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ ἐν ἑαυτῷ περιφέρειν, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· "Ὑμεῖς οἱ δυνατοί τά βάρη τῶν ἀδυνάτων βαστάζετε", καί αὖθις· "Τοῦ λοιποῦ κόπους μοι μηδείς παρεχέτω· ἐγώ γάρ τά στίγματα τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματί μου βαστάζω". Καί ὁ Κύριος διά τοῦ προφήτου· " Τῷ νῶτόν μου, φησί, δέδωκα εἰς μάστιγας καί τάς σιαγόνας μου εἰς ῥαπισμόν". Ἅπερ, εἰ καί μή ἀπαντήσει καιρός τοῦ παθεῖν, ἀλλά χρή ἐλπίζειν ἀεί καί πρός ταῦτα καθ᾿ ὥραν παρασκευάζεσθαι. Ὤμους δέ καί βραχίονας, τό ὑπομονητικόν τε καί καρτερικόν ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς καί ταῖς θλίψεσι, δι᾿ ὧν αἱ χεῖρες καί μεθ᾿ ὧν ἐνεργεῖν δύνανται. Χεῖρας δέ φημι τό πρός πᾶσαν ὑπακοήν καί ἐργασίαν τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνεργητικόν τε καί πρόθυμον, ἅτινα δίχα ὑπομονῆς καί καρτερίας πολλῆς οὐδείς οὐδαμῶς κτήσασθαι δύναται. Ἔχει δέ πρός ταύταις καί πνευματικάς χεῖρας ἡ ἡλικία αὕτη, δι᾿ ὧν τούς μέν ὀλιγοψύχους παραμυθεῖται, τούς δέ καταπίπτοντας ἀνιστᾷ, τούς συντετριμμένους καταδεσμεῖ, ἔλαιον καί οἶνον ἐπιχέων αὐτοῖς, μεθ᾿ ὧν καί ἄλλα πολλά λόγῳ καί ἔργῳ πρός τούς πλησίον καθ᾿ ἑκάστην ποιεῖ καί αὐτοῦ τοῦ κρασπέδου ἅπτεται τοῦ δεσποτικοῦ καί ἄρτον προσφέρει τῷ Κυρίῳ αὐτοῦ καί τό ποτήριον δίδωσιν εἰς τάς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ. Καί οὕτω τρέφει (191) τόν τρέφοντα νεύματι καί πᾶσαν πνοήν, τροφήν ἥν εἶπεν ἐκεῖνος ἐπιθυμεῖν καί ἐφίεσθαι· καί μακάριος ὁ εἰδώς ταῦτα καί ἔχων καί προσφέρων τῷ δεσπότῃ αὐτοῦ,