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being disposed, and rebelling against its own maker, and not enduring to be under His kingdom; still sold to countless cruel masters, they rush it into wickedness, and deceitfully prepare it to choose the road that brings destruction rather than the one that saves. But when we sober up from the drunkenness of the passions, and rise up against the wicked and tyrannical kingdom of the devil, and shake his most bitter yoke from ourselves; and perceive how much friendship with him has destroyed us; then we will receive the peaceful presence of the peaceful and meek king Christ, coming invisibly upon us; and we will endure to be under his yoke, as he orders and regulates us by the laws of truth; and we will deign to willingly send forth friendship toward him, willingly bringing him tributes and taxes, the fruits of righteousness brought to fruition in us through virtues according to the commandment. In which things, the only one who lacks nothing, rejoicing over our salvation, may He, as one who is true, grant us all things that he promised us. And these are: What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him. For for this he has also made us, that we might become partakers of the divine nature, and participants in his eternity; and that we might appear like him according to the deification from grace; for which is both the entire constitution of beings (15Β_384> and their permanence, and the production and generation of beings.

Let us then become worthy of peace, my blessed lord, having manfully removed from ourselves the passions within us that rebel against God. Let us mortify the body with all our strength, through which, when it is vigorous, the devil finds an entrance to the soul. With divine 0612 readings let us halt the wandering mind, and lead it back again to God. By the exertions of self-control and vigilance, let us temperately suppress desire, which is carried disorderly to many things according to appetite. By prayers and supplications and alms, let us wisely calm our anger when it is seething and disturbed. By the fear of God and the threat of future things, let us stop the senses from moving and acting licentiously. In all things, and before all things, let us remember death, and the soul’s fearful exit from the body; and how the principalities and authorities and powers of darkness meet it in this air; each one tearing and cutting it for themselves, in proportion to the evil familiarity formed with it through the medium of passion. Let us remember the bitter pain that comes to the soul in Hades according to conscience, at the memory of the evil things it has done through the body. Let us remember the final consummation of the whole world, in which this all is consumed by a great and immense fire; the elements being terribly shaken by the melting of the conflagration; heaven, by its rolling up [and] fearfully and hastily fleeing from the face of the fire that purifies creation beforehand for the presence of the Pure One; the sea disappearing, the earth being shaken up, even from its foundation, and providing undiminished the countless myriads of human bodies; let us remember the dreadful hour of the defense that will take place before the fearful and dreadful tribunal of Christ; when all the power of the heavens, and all the creation of men from the foundation of the world, beholds what belongs to each, even to a mere thought; when, on the one hand, for the splendor of their works the (15Β_386> ineffable light will receive them; and the radiance of the holy and blessed Trinity shines more clearly upon those who are able, through purity of soul, to see and to receive it; but on the other hand, for the wickedness of their works, the outer darkness will receive them, and the unsleeping worm, and the unquenchable fire of Gehenna; and what is heaviest of all, the shame in the conscience that has no end. Let us remember all these things, that we may become worthy of the one, but not have experience of the other.

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διακειμένης, καί πρός τόν ἴδιον ποιητήν στασιαζούσης, καί ὑπό τήν αὐτοῦ βασιλείαν γενέσθαι οὐκ ἀνεχομένης· ἔτι μυρίοις πεπραμένης ὡμοῖς δεσπόταις, εἰς κακίαν αὐτήν κατεπείγουσι, καί τήν ἀπώλειαν φέρουσαν ὁδόν τῆς σωζούσης μᾶλλον ἀπατηλῶς αἱρεῖσθαι παρασκευάζουσιν. Ἐπειδάν δέ τῆς τῶν παθῶν μέθης ἐκνήψωμεν, καί τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου πονηρᾶς κατεξαναστῶμεν καί τυραννικῆς βασιλείας, καί τόν αὐτοῦ πικρότατον ζυγόν ἑαυτῶν ἐκτιναξώμεθα· καί κατίδοιμεν ὅσον ἡμᾶς ἡ πρός αὐτόν φιλία κατέφθειρε· τηνικαῦτα δεξόμεθα τοῦ εἰρηνικοῦ καί πράου βασιλέως Χριστοῦ τήν εἰρηνικήν παρουσίαν ἐφ᾿ ἑαυτοῖς ἀοράτως γινομένην· καί ἀνεξόμεθα ὑπό τόν αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι ζυγόν, νόμοις ἀληθείας τάσσοντος ἡμᾶς καί ῥυθμίζοντος· καί τήν πρός αὐτόν στείλασθαι ἑκουσίως φιλίαν καταδεξόμεθα, φόρους αὐτῷ καί δασμούς ἑκουσίως προσάγοντες, τούς διά τῶν ἀρετῶν κατ᾿ ἐντολήν τελεσφορουμένους ἐν ἡμῖν τῆς δικαιοσύνης καρπούς. Οἷς ὑπέρ τῆς ἡμῶν σωτηρίας ἡδόμενος ὁ μόνος ἀπροσδεής, πάντα ἡμῖν χαρίσηται ὡς ἀψευδής, ὅσα ἡμῖν ἐπηγγείλατο. Τἀ δέ ἐστιν, Ἅ ὀφθαλμός οὐκ εἶδε, καί οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε, καί ἐπί καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἅ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεός τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν. Εἰς τοῦτο γάρ ἡμᾶς καί πεποίηκεν, ἵνα γενώμεθα θείας κοινωνοί φύσεως, καί τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀϊδιότητος μέτοχοι· καί φανῶμεν αὐτῷ ὅμοιοι κατά τήν ἐκ χάριτος θέωσιν· δι᾿ ἥν πᾶσά τε τῶν ὄντων ἡ σύστασίς (15Β_384> ἐστι καί ἡ διαμονή, καί ἡ τῶν ὄντων παραγωγή καί γένεσις.

Γενώμεθα τοίνυν ἄξιοι τῆς εἰρήνης, δέσποτά μου εὐλογημένε, τά ἐν ἡμῖν στασιάζοντα πρός Θεόν πάθη ἑαυτῶν ἀνδρικῶς περιελόντες. Τήξωμεν ὅση δύναμις τό σῶμα, δι᾿ οὗ σφριγῶντος ἡ τοῦ διαβόλου πρός τήν ψυχήν γένεσθαι εἴσοδος. Ἀναγνώσμασι 0612 θείοις πλανώμενον στήσωμεν τόν νοῦν, καί πρός τόν Θεόν πάλιν ἐπαναγάγωμεν. Ἐγκρατείας τόνοις καί ἀγρυπνίας, κατ᾿ ὄρεξιν εἰς πολλά φερομένην ἀτάκτως τήν ἐπιθυμίαν, σωφρόνως καταστείλωμεν. Εὐχαῖς καί δεήσεσι καί ἐλεημοσύναις, τόν θυμόν ζέοντα καί ταρασσόμενον, σοφῶς κατευνάσωμεν. Φόβῳ Θεοῦ καί ἀπειλῇ τῶν μελλόντων, ἀκολάστως κινούμενά τε καί ἐνεργοῦντα τά αἰσθητήρια, παύσωμεν. Ἐπί πᾶσι, καί πρό πάντων μνησθῶμεν τοῦ θανάτου, καί τῆς φοβερᾶς τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκ τοῦ σώματος ἐξόδου· καί πῶς ὑπαντῶσιν αὐτῇ κατά τόν ἀέρα τοῦτον αἱ ἀρχαί καί ἐξουσίαι καί δυνάμεις τοῦ σκότους· πᾶσα πρός ἑαυτήν διέλκουσά τε καί κατατέμνουσα, κατ᾿ ἀναλογίαν τῆς σχετικῶς πρός αὐτήν διά τοῦ μέσου πάθους γενομένης κακῆς οἰκειότητος. Μνησθῶμεν τῆς ἐν τῷ ᾅδη κατά συνείδησιν γινομένης τῇ ψυχῇ πικρᾶς ὀδύνης, ἐπί τῇ μνήμῃ τῶν αὐτῇ κακῶς διά τοῦ σώματος πεπραγμένων. Μνησθῶμεν τῆς τελευταίας τοῦ παντός κόσμου συντελείας, καθ᾿ ἥν τῷ πολλῷ καί ἀπλέτῳ πυρί τό πᾶν καταφλέγεται τοῦτο· στοιχείων φοβερῶς κλονουμένων τῇ τήξει τῆς καύσεως· οὐρανοῦ τῇ ἑλίξει [καί] φόβῳ κατ᾿ ἔπειξιν φεύγοντος ἀπό προσώπου πυρός τοῦ προκαθαίροντος τήν κτίσιν διά τήν τοῦ Καθαροῦ παρουσίαν· θαλάσσης ἀφανιζομένης, γῆς βρασσομένης, καί ἐκ πυθμένος, καί τάς ἀπείρους τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων σωμάτων ἀμειώτως παρεχούσης μυριάδας· μνησθῶμεν τῆς φρικτῆς ὥρας τῆς ἀπολογίας τῆς ἐπί τοῦ φοβεροῦ καί φρικτοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ γενησομένης· ἡνίκα πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις τῶν οὐρανῶν, καί πᾶσα ἡ ἀπό καταβολῆς τοῦ αἰῶνος κτίσις τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐφορᾷ τά ἑκάστῳ προσόντα, μέχρι καί ψιλοῦ ἐνθυμήματος· ἡνίκα τούς μέν, διά τήν τῶν ἔργων λαμπρότητα τό (15Β_386> ἄφραστον φῶς διαδέξηται· καί ἡ τῆς ἁγίας καί μακαρίας Τριάδος ἔλλαμψις τρανώτερον ἐπιλαμπούσης, τοῖς ὁρᾷν καί ὑποδέχεσθαι διά καθαρότητα ψυχῆς δυναμένοις· τούς δέ διά τήν τῶν ἔργων ἀτοπίαν τό σκότος ὑποδέξεται τό ἐξώτερον, καί ὁ ἀκοίμητος σκώληξ, καί τό πῦρ τῆς γεέννης τό ἄσβεστον· καί τό πάντων βαρύτατον, ἡ ἐν τῷ συνειδότι αἰσχύνη πέρας οὐκ ἔχουσα. Μνησθῶμεν τούτων ἁπάντων ἵνα τῶν μέν γενώμεθα ἄξιοι τῶν, δέ πεῖραν λαβεῖν μή