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the passions war, all these and other things more than these he practices and does; and every affliction that comes upon him he accepts with joy, and if one does not come, he afflicts himself; and every deed done, which he hears of from the ancient saints or sees being done by his companions, he strives to do it himself also according to his ability, in order that by the variety of ascetic virtues and practices he might wipe out the many and various passions, through which the demons have power over us, and completely banish them from his own soul, treasuring up in himself the virtues in their place with all the power of his soul. For if he does not do so and thus the matters of the struggles go well in him, there will be no benefit for him from the alienation of the passions alone; for not the one who is not greedy, but the one who is merciful is praised, nor was the one who kept the given talent safe saved, but the one who doubled it, nor is the one who turns away from evil, but the one who does good blessed, nor does the one who does not side with the king's enemies, but the one who takes up arms for him against them and fights back demonstrate his love.

And the Lord Christ himself testifies to this, crying out so explicitly: "He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters." And saying this, he shows (246) that he who does not in every way and with all zeal keep his commandments and always acquire the virtues through the work of the commandments and advance through them, but only seemingly abstains from evil things, and does not hold on to good things for long, but as it were has ceased from gathering the virtues through neglect of the commandments, is not able to keep even what he seems to have; for through idleness he loses these things too; and this the phrase "he who does not gather scatters" makes clear. For in the case of perceptible things this is impossible; for he who does not gather there, but sits idle, is not also like one who scatters. But in spiritual matters it is not so, but the divine Scripture considers the one who does not do good as sinning and implies that he is to be condemned; "For to him who knows to do good," it says, "and does not do it, to him it is sin," and again: "Cursed is every man who does the works of the Lord negligently." Which certainly will be enough for me first, the lax and negligent one, for condemnation. But if he who negligently does the commandments of God is cursed, how much more will he who does partially what he is able to do, or even does not do at all, be condemned yet more. And you will find this happening also in civil laws and worldly affairs; for the master considers that slave who sees his master's house being broken into by some men and his property being plundered, and who neither cooperated with the thieves nor hindered them or cried out, but allowed them, having taken everything, to escape secretly, as a conspirator against himself and a thief, just like them. What then? Have not all of you also condemned the wicked man for the same things?

(247) Thus will it certainly be for me, the wretched and humble one first, for I hesitate to say for all of you too, if we abstain from evil works and deeds, but do not acquire the virtues in their place with all our strength to such an extent, until we become perfect men and attain to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, as Paul commands us all to become. And rightly so; for if we do not become such, how shall we be strong enough to serve the Lord? How shall we be able to serve as soldiers for Christ? And how shall we be armed spiritually and be numbered in the battle-line of the living God and appear terrible to the enemies? In no way. Let no one therefore think, while fasting or keeping vigil or being hungry or thirsty or living by sleeping on the ground or mourning or weeping or enduring insults and temptations that come upon him, that he is serving God or doing a favor to anyone else through such things. But he benefits himself alone, and this, if he endures and pursues them in humility and spiritual knowledge; but if not, not even

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τά πάθη πόλεμον, ταῦτα πάντα καί ἕτερα τούτων πλείονα ἐπιτηδεύεται καί ποιεῖ· καί πᾶσαν θλῖψιν ἐπερχομένην αὐτῷ μετά χαρᾶς ἀποδέχεται, μή ἐπερχομένης δέ, αὐτός ἑαυτόν θλίβει· καί πᾶσαν πρᾶξιν πραχθεῖσαν, ἥν ἀκούσει παρά τῶν πάλαι ἁγίων ἤ καί παρά τῶν συνόντων πραττομένην θεάσεται, σπουδάζει τό κατά δύναμιν καί αὐτός ποιῆσαι αὐτήν, ἵνα τῇ ποικιλίᾳ τῶν ἀσκητικῶν ἀρετῶν τε καί πράξεων τά πολλά καί ποικίλα πάθη, δι᾿ ὧν τήν ἰσχύν καθ᾿ ἡμῶν οἱ δαίμονες κέκτηνται, ἐξαλείψῃ καί τέλεον ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς ταῦτα ἐξαφανίσῃ, πάσῃ δυνάμει ψυχῆς τάς ἀρετάς ἀντ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐν ἑαυτῷ θησαυρίζων. Εἰ γάρ μή οὕτω γένηται παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ καί οὕτω τά τῶν ἀγώνων ἕξει καλῶς ἐν αὐτῷ, οὐδέν ἔσται ὄφελος αὐτῷ ἐκ μόνης τῆς τῶν παθῶν ἀλλοτριώσεως· οὐ γάρ ὁ μή πλεονεκτῶν, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ ἐλεῶν ἐπαινεῖται, οὐδέ ὁ τό δοθέν τάλαντον σῶον φυλάξας ἀλλ᾿ ὁ διπλασιάσας ἐσώθη, οὐδέ ὁ ἐκκλίνας ἀπό κακοῦ, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ ποιήσας τό ἀγαθόν μακαρίζεται, οὐδέ ὁ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τοῦ βασιλέως μή συντιθέμενος ἀλλ᾿ ὁ καί ὑπέρ αὐτοῦ κατ᾿ αὐτῶν ὁπλιζόμενός τε καί ἀντιμαχόμενος τήν ἀγάπην ἐνδείκνυται.

Καί μαρτυρεῖ τοῦτο αὐτός ὁ δεσπότης Χριστός οὕτω διαρρήδην βοῶν· "Ὁ μή ὤν μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ ἐστι· καί ὁ μή συνάγων μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ σκορπίζει". Τοῦτο δέ λέγων, δείκνυσιν (246) ὅτι ὁ μή παντί τρόπῳ καί πάσῃ σπουδῇ τάς ἐντολάς αὐτοῦ τηρῶν καί ἀεί τάς ἀρετάς διά τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν κτώμενος ἐργασίας καί εἰς τό πρόσω δι᾿ αὐτῶν ἀνερχόμενος, ἀλλά τῶν μέν πονηρῶν μόνων τῷ δοκεῖν ἀπεχόμενος, τῶν δέ γε ἀγαθῶν μή ἐπί πολύ ἀντεχόμενος, ἀλλ᾿ οἱονεί τοῦ συλλέγειν τάς ἀρετάς διά τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν ἀμελείας παυσάμενος, οὐδέ ἅ δοκεῖ ἔχειν φυλάξαι δύναται· διά γάρ τῆς ἀργίας καί ταῦτα ἀπόλλυσι· καί δηλοῖ τοῦτο τό "ὁ μή συνάγων σκορπίζει". Ἐπί μέν γάρ τῶν αἰσθητῶν τοῦτο ἀδύνατον· ὁ γάρ μή συνάγων ἐκεῖ, ἀλλά ἀργός καθεζόμενος, οὐχί καί ὡς ὁ σκορπίζων ἐστίν. Ἐπί δέ τῶν πνευματικῶν οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλά τόν μή ποιοῦντα τό ἀγαθόν ὡς ἁμαρτάνοντα ἔχει ἡ θεία Γραφή καί κατακρίνεσθαι αὐτόν ὑπεμφαίνει· "Τῷ γάρ εἰδότι καλόν, φησί, ποιεῖν καί μή ποιοῦντι, ἁμαρτία αὐτῷ ἐστιν", καί πάλιν· "Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ὁ ποιῶν τά ἔργα Κυρίου ἀμελῶς". Ὅπερ ἐμοί πάντως ἀρκέσει πρῶτον, τῷ χαύνῳ καί ἀμελεῖ, εἰς κατάκρισιν. Εἰ δέ ὁ ἀμελῶς ποιῶν τάς ἐντολάς τοῦ Θεοῦ κεκατήραται, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ μερικῶς ποιῶν ἐξ ὧν ποιεῖν δύναται, ἤ καί μηδόλως ποιῶν, ἐπί πλεῖον κατακριθήσεται. Τοῦτο δέ καί ἐπί τῶν πολιτικῶν νόμων καί τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων εὑρήσεις γινόμενον· τόν γάρ βλέποντα δοῦλον διορυττομένην παρά τινων τήν οἰκίαν τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ καί συλουμένην τήν περιουσίαν αὐτοῦ καί μήτε συνεργήσαντα τοῖς κλέπταις μήτε παρεμποδίσαντα αὐτοῖς ἤ κραυγάσαντα, ἀλλ᾿ ἐάσαντα τούτους, ἄραντας πάντα, λάθρα διαφυγεῖν, ἴσως ἐκείνοις ἐπίβουλον ἑαυτοῦ καί κλέπτην τόν δοῦλον ἐκεῖνον ὁ δεσπότης λογίζεται. Τί δαί; Οὐχί καί ὑμεῖς πάντες τά αὐτά κατά τοῦ πονηροῦ κατεψηφίσασθε;

(247) Οὕτως ἔσται πάντως κἀμοί τῷ ἀθλίῳ πρῶτον καί ταπεινῷ, ὀκνῶ γάρ εἰπεῖν καί πᾶσιν ὑμῖν ἐάν πονηρῶν μέν ἔργων καί πράξεων ἀποσχώμεθα, τάς δέ ἀρετάς ἀντ᾿ αὐτῶν μή πάσῃ ἰσχύϊ κτησώμεθα ἐπί τοσοῦτον, ἕως οὗ ἄνδρες γενώμεθα τέλειοι καί καταντήσωμεν εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καθώς ὁ Παῦλος ἐντέλλεται γενέσθαι πάντας ἡμᾶς. Καί εἰκότως· εἰ γάρ μή τοιοῦτοι γενοίμεθα, πῶς δουλεῦσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ ἰσχύσομεν; Πῶς στρατευθῆναι Χριστῷ δυνησόμεθα; Πῶς δέ καί πνευματικῶς ὁπλισόμεθα καί εἰς παράταξιν Θεοῦ ζῶντος καταριθμηθῶμεν καί τοῖς ἐχθροῖς φοβεροί φανησόμεθα; Οὐδαμῶς. Μή οὖν οἰέσθω τις νηστεύων ἤ ἀγρυπνῶν ἤ πεινῶν ἤ διψῶν ἤ χαμευνίᾳ συζῶν ἤ πενθῶν ἤ κλαίων ἤ ὕβρεις ἐπερχομένας αὐτῷ καί πειρασμούς ὑποφέρων, ὅτι τῷ Θεῷ δουλεύει ἤ ἑτέρῳ τινί διά τῶν τοιούτων χαρίζεταί τι. Ἀλλ᾿ ἑαυτόν μόνον ὠφελεῖ, καί ταῦτα, ἐάν ἐν ταπεινώσει καί γνώσει πνευματικῇ ὑπομένῃ αὐτά καί μετέρχηται· εἰ δέ μή, οὐδέ