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I will not leave you, nor will I forsake you. Thus, therefore, in the harshness of your way of life and the privation of your ascetic practice, when you acquire such thoughts, rejoice, remembering the Lord our God; For, he says, I remembered God, and I was gladdened. But when again the adversary devises another manner of warfare against you, proposing high-minded thoughts, and showing you the glory of the kingdom of the world which you left behind, and the other things in the world, put forward the saving word, as a shield, which says: When you have done all that was commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.' But who among us can pay the debt we owe to the Master, for whose sake He became poor though He was rich, that we by His poverty might become rich, and He who is without passion suffered, that He might free us from the passions? For what favor is it for a servant to suffer things like unto the Master? But we fall short of His sufferings in many ways. Contemplate these things, 588 cleansing your thoughts and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. When these things were said by the blessed Barlaam, the flow of Ioasaph's tears had no measure, but, gushing as from a bounteous spring, it drenched both him and the ground on which he was sitting. And lamenting the separation, he asked most fervently to be his companion on the final journey, and no longer to remain in this life after his departure, saying, 'Why, O Father, do you seek only your own good, and not also that of your neighbor? How in this are you fulfilling perfect love according to Him who said, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," when you are departing to rest and life, but leaving me to affliction and hardship, and, before I have been well trained in the struggles of the ascetic life and have learned the enemy's manifold attacks, you cast me forth to single combat against their battle-line? What else will happen, but that I will be struck by their wicked devices, and die, alas, the truly spiritual and eternal death? This is what naturally befalls inexperienced and cowardly monks. But pray to the Lord, I beseech you, to take me too as a companion in departing this life. Yes, by the very hope you have of receiving the reward of your labor, pray 590 that I may not sojourn in this life for a single day after your separation, nor wander in the sea of this desert.' As Ioasaph was saying these things with tears, the elder gently and calmly interrupted, 'We ought not, child,' he said, 'to resist the inscrutable judgments of God. For having prayed much concerning this, and having compelled the uncompellable Master that we not be separated from one another, I was taught by His goodness that it is not profitable for you now to put off the burden of the flesh; but you must remain in the ascetic life, until you weave a more glorious crown for yourself. For you have not yet striven sufficiently for the reward prepared for you; but you must labor a little while, that you may enter rejoicing into the joy of your Lord. For I am now somewhere near one hundred years old, having spent seventy-five years already in this desert; but for you, even if your time will not be extended so long, yet you must come somewhere near it, as the Lord commands, so that you may be shown to be an equal, and in no way inferior to those who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. Receive, therefore, O beloved, what has been decreed by God with gladness. For what He has determined, what man is able to set aside? And persevere, being guarded by His grace. Be ever vigilant against opposing thoughts, and guard the purity of your mind like some precious, inviolable treasure, leading yourself on to a higher practice and contemplation

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σε ἀνῶ, οὐδ' οὐ μή σε ἐγκαταλίπω. οὕτως μὲν οὖν ἐν τῇ σκληρότητι τῆς ἀγωγῆς καὶ τῇ ὀλιγωρίᾳ τῆς ἀσκήσεως τοιούτους κτώμενος λογισμούς, εὐφραίνου, μεμνημένος Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν· Ἐμνήσθην γάρ, φησί, τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ εὐφράνθην. Ὅταν δὲ πάλιν ὁ ἐξ ἐναντίας ἄλλον σοι τρόπον ἐπινοῇ πολέμων, ὑψηλόφρονας προβάλλων λογισμούς, καὶ τὴν δόξαν ὑποδεικνύων τῆς τοῦ κόσμου βασιλείας ἧς κατέλιπες, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, τὸν σωτήριον προβαλοῦ λόγον, ὡς θυρεόν, τὸν φάσκοντα· Ὅταν ποιήσητε πάντα τὰ διαταχθέντα ὑμῖν, λέγετε, ὅτι Ἀχρεῖοι δοῦλοί ἐσμεν, ὅτι ὃ ὀφείλομεν ποιῆσαι πεποιήκαμεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ τίς ἐξ ἡμῶν δύναται τὴν ὀφειλὴν ἐκτῖσαι ἣν ὀφείλομεν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, ὑπὲρ ὧν δι' ἡμᾶς ἐπτώχευσε πλούσιος ὤν, ἵνα ἡμεῖς τῇ ἐκείνου πτωχείᾳ πλουτήσωμεν, καὶ ἔπαθεν ὁ ἀπαθὴς ἵνα τῶν παθῶν ἡμᾶς ἐλευθερώσῃ; ποία γὰρ χάρις δούλῳ ὅμοια τῷ ∆εσπότῃ παθεῖν; ἡμεῖς δὲ πολλὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ ὑστερούμεθα παθημάτων. ταῦτα ἐν 588 νόει, λογισμοὺς καθαίρων καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζων πᾶν νόημα εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ· καὶ ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἡ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν, φρουρήσει τὴν καρδίαν καὶ τὰ νοήματά σου ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Τούτων ὑπὸ τοῦ μακαρίου Βαρλαὰμ λεχθέντων, ἡ ῥοὴ τῶν δακρύων τοῦ Ἰωάσαφ μέτρον οὐκ εἶχεν, ἀλλ', ὡς ἐκ πηγῆς πολυχεύμονος βρύουσα, ὅλον αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν ἐν ᾗ ἐκάθητο κατέβρεχεν. ὀδυρόμενος δὲ τὸν χωρισμόν, ἠξίου μάλα θερμῶς συνοδοιπόρος αὐτῷ τῆς τελευταίας πορείας γενέσθαι, καὶ μηκέτι παραμεῖναι τῷ βίῳ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου ἐκδημίαν, ∆ιὰ τί, λέγων, τὸ σεαυτοῦ ζητεῖς μόνον, ὦ Πάτερ, καὶ μὴ καὶ τὸ τοῦ πλησίου; πῶς δὲ τὴν τελείαν ἐν τούτῳ πληροῖς ἀγάπην κατὰ τὸν εἰπόντα, Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν, πρὸς ἀνάπαυσιν μὲν καὶ ζωὴν αὐτὸς ἀπαίρων, εἰς θλῖψιν δὲ καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν ἐμὲ καταλιμπάνων, καί, πρὶν καλῶς ἐγγυμνασθῆναι τοῖς ἄθλοις τῆς ἀσκήσεως καὶ τῶν πολεμίων μαθεῖν τὰς πολυτρόπους ἐφόδους, πρὸς μονομαχίαν με τῆς αὐτῶν παρατάξεως προβαλλόμενος; ἱνατί γένηται ἄλλο, εἰ μὴ βληθῆναί με ταῖς κακοτρόποις αὐτῶν μηχαναῖς, καὶ ἀποθανεῖν οἴμοι τὸν ψυχικὸν ὄντως καὶ αἰώνιον θάνατον; ὅπερ τοῖς ἀπείροις καὶ δειλοῖς συμβαίνειν πέφυκε μοναχοῖς. ἀλλὰ δεήθητι τοῦ Κυρίου, δυσωπῶ, συνέκδημον κἀμὲ τοῦ βίου λαβεῖν. ναὶ πρὸς αὐτῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος ἧς ἔχεις ἀπολαβεῖν τοῦ καμάτου τὸν μισθόν, δεήθητι 590 μηδεμίαν ἡμέραν μετὰ τὸν σὸν χωρισμὸν παροικεῖν τῷ βίῳ, καὶ εἰς τὸ πέλαγος ταύτης πλανᾶσθαι τῆς ἐρήμου. Ταῦτα τοῦ Ἰωάσαφ σὺν δάκρυσι λέγοντος, ὁ γέρων πράως ἀνακόπτων καὶ ὁμαλῶς, Οὐκ ὀφείλομεν, τέκνον, ἔφη, τοῖς ἀνεφίκτοις κρίμασι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνθίστασθαι. ἐγὼ γὰρ πολλὰ δεηθεὶς περὶ τούτου, καὶ τὸν ἀβίαστον ∆εσπότην βιασάμενος τοῦ μὴ χωρισθῆναι ἡμᾶς ἀπ' ἀλλήλων, ἐδιδάχθην παρὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητος ὡς οὐκ ἔστι συμφέρον σὲ νῦν τὸ ἄχθος τῆς σαρκὸς ἀποθέσθαι· ἀλλὰ παραμεῖναι δεῖ τῇ ἀσκήσει, ἕως λαμπρότερον ἑαυτῷ τὸν στέφανον πλέξῃς. οὐ γὰρ ἀρκούντως ἀκμὴν ἠγωνίσω πρὸς τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην σοι μισθαποδοσίαν· ἀλλὰ δεῖ σε κοπιάσαι μικρὸν ἵνα χαίρων εἰσέλθῃς εἰς τὴν χαρὰν τοῦ Κυρίου σου. ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐγγύς που τῶν ἑκατὸν λοιπόν εἰμι χρόνων, διατελέσας ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ταύτῃ ἐνιαυτοὺς ἤδη πέντε καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα· σοὶ δέ, εἰ καὶ τοσοῦτον οὐκ ἐκταθήσεται ὁ χρόνος, ἀλλὰ πλησίον που γενέσθαι δεῖ, καθὼς κελεύει ὁ Κύριος, ἵν' ἐφάμιλλος ἀναδειχθῇς, καὶ μηδὲν ὅλως ὑστερούμενος τῶν βαστασάντων τὸ βάρος τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τὸν καύσωνα. δέχου τοίνυν, ὦ φιλότης, τὰ τῷ Θεῷ δεδογμένα ἀσμένως. ἃ γὰρ αὐτὸς βεβούλευται, τίς ἱκανὸς ἀνθρώπων διασκεδάσαι; καὶ καρτέρει τῇ ἐκείνου φυλαττόμενος χάριτι. Νῆφε δὲ ἀεὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους λογισμούς, καὶ τὴν καθαρότητα τοῦ νοὸς ὥσπερ τινὰ θησαυρὸν πολύτιμον ἄσυλον διατήρει, πρὸς ὑψηλοτέραν ἐργασίαν καὶ θεωρίαν ἐμβιβάζων ἑαυτὸν