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having once bound the intellectual power to material things, is most resourceful and swift only in the discovery of base things. For this reason, night and day I pray unceasingly, although weighed down by many sins, that this saving sorrow may be preserved for me by my blessed Master, which is truly a stern mistress of the passions, but a venerable and glorious mother of the virtues; so that, being guarded by it, he may beat back the evil goad of sin. For truly, no one who has enclosed this in the depth of his heart is ever caught by the devil's arrows. No one who invisibly embraces this in his soul fears the manifold assaults of the demons. No one who has chosen to live with this ever cleaves to the things that are seen. No one who has this characterizing his life is polluted by the filth of corruptible things. No one who has bound this indissolubly to his thoughts allows his senses to be carried away disorderly to what they ought not. No one whose soul has been qualified by this can ever consider himself greater than another; but on the contrary, he would rather believe himself to be and to be considered less than everyone. No one who has girded himself with this in his mind slips away from the contemplation of divine things. No one who has fitted this to himself throughout will be ignorant of the precepts of a devout life. The Holy Spirit creates this, visiting the hearts of the worthy. This alone I know to be generative of the joy in the kingdom of heaven. For godly sorrow is clearly a divine seed, yielding as ripe fruit the gladness of eternal good things.

The precise recollection in the mind of one's past life (416) renews this. The book in our conscience of the sins we have committed, when read diligently, nurtures this. The remembrance of death, and the most bitter pain that comes to the soul at its departure, being always expected, procures this. The fearful and abrupt inquiry by the spirits of wickedness, which is arrayed against the soul in the air, being constantly formed in the mind, keeps this completely unquenched. For who, beloved, that is stained like me with the filth of sins, does not fear the visitation of the holy angels? by whom, receiving the end of the present life according to the divine decree, he is thrust out of the body by force with wrath and against his will. Who, bringing with him a stained conscience, does not dread the most cruel and barbarous attack of the evil demons, each one in this air after the departure, mercilessly tearing the wretched soul toward itself through its corresponding passion, and shaming it with the evidence of its deeds, and creating in it despair of all hope for future good things? The precise representation of the state of the souls in Hades, after the examination in the air by the spiritual hosts of wickedness takes place, salutarily nourishes this sorrow; how they live in deep darkness and the heaviest silence, having for food the most bitter groans and tears, and dejection over these things; expecting always nothing else but only the just condemnation by the divine decree. The hope of the resurrection establishes this sorrow; the majesty of the fearful and all-glorious coming of Christ; the most dreadful day of judgment, when continually meditated upon in the mind; on which heaven and earth, and all the arrangement of visible things will pass away with a rushing noise; the elements being burned and dissolved by the unquenchable fire, which purifies beforehand for the advent of the Pure One the creation that was defiled by us; on which thrones are set forth, and the Ancient of Days takes His seat, and the countless orders of holy angels and archangels stand by ministering with fear and trembling; and the entire nature of men is brought to examination; and

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ἅπαξ τοῖς ὑλικοῖς τήν νοεράν ἐνδήσασα δύναμιν, περί μόνην τήν τῶν φαύλων ἐξεύρεσίν ἐστι ποριμωτάτῃ καί εὔδρομος. ∆ιά τοῦτο νύκτωρ τε καί μεθ᾿ ἡμέραν ἀπαύστως εὔχομαι, καίτοι πολλοῖς βαρούμενος ἁμαρτήμασι, συντηρηθῆναι τῷ εὐλογημένῳ μου ∆εσπότῃ ταύτην τήν σωτήριον λύπην, τήν ὄντως, τῶν μέν παθῶν ἀπότομον δέσποιναν, τῶν ἀρετῶν δέ μητέρα σεμνήν καί ἐπίδοξον· ἵνα δι᾿ αὐτῆς φρουρούμενος, τό πονηρόν ἐκκρούσηται κέντρον τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Οὐδείς γάρ, ὡς ἀληθῶς, ταύτην τῷ βάθει τῆς καρδίας ἐναποκλείσας, τοῖς τοῦ διαβόλου καθάπαξ ἁλίσκεται βέλεσιν. Οὐδείς ταύτην ἀοράτως κατά ψυχήν περιέπων, φοβεῖται τάς πολυτρόπους τῶν δαιμόνων ἐπιδρομάς. Οὐδείς ἑλόμενος τήν ταύτης συμβίωσιν, ποτέ τοῖς ὁρωμένοις προστίθεται. Οὐδείς ταύτην ἔχων τόν βίον χαρακτηρίζουσαν, τοῖς τῶν φθειρομένων ῥύποις μολύνεται. Οὐδείς ταύτην συνδήσας ἀλύτως τοῖς λογισμοῖς, ἀτάκτως ἐφ ἅ μή δεῖ φέρεσθαι συγχωρεῖ τάς αἰσθήσεις. Οὐδείς ταύτῃ τήν ψυχήν πεποιωμένος, ἑαυτόν ἄλλου μείζοντα παντελῶς ἡγήσασθαι δύναται· τουναντίον δέ μᾶλλον παντός ἥττονα καί εἶναι καί νομίζεσθαι πιστεύσειεν. Οὐδείς ἑαυτῷ ταύτην κατά νοῦν περιζωσάμενος, τῆς τῶν θείων ἀπολισθαίνει κατανοήσεως. Οὐδείς ἑαυτῷ ταύτην δι᾿ ὅλου συναρμόσας, ἀγνοήσει τά τῆς εὐσεβοῦς πολιτείας συνθήματα. Ταύτην τό ἅγιον Πνεῦμα δημιουργεῖ, ταῖς τῶν ἀξίων καρδίαις ἐπιφοιτοῦν. Ταύτην ἐπίσταμαι μόνην ἐγώ τῆς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν χαρᾶς οὖσαν γεννητικήν. Σπέρμα γάρ θεῖον ὑπάρχει σαφῶς ἡ κατά Θεόν λύπη· καρπόν ὥριμον τήν τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν εὐφροσύνην παρέχουσα.

Ταύτην ἡ κατά διάνοιαν ἀκριβής τῶν βεβιωμένων (416) ἀνάληψις ἀνανεοῖ. Ταύτην ἡ κατά συνείδησιν τῶν πλημμεληθέντων ἡμῖ βίβλος, φιλοπόνως ἀναγινωσκομένη τιθηνεῖται. Ταύτην ἡ τοῦ θανάτου μνήμη, καί ὁ ἐπ᾿ αὐτῇ κατά τήν ἔξοδον ἐγγινόμενος τῇ ψυχῇ δριμύτατος πόνος ἀεί προσδοκώμενος περιποιεῖται. Ταύτην ἡ κατά τόν ἀέρα συγκροτουμένη πρός τήν ψυχήν, τῶν τῆς πονηρίας πνευμάτων φοβερά καί ἀπότομος ἔρευνα διά παντός κατά νοῦν μορφουμένη, διαφυλάττει παντελῶς ἀκατάσβεστον. Τίς γάρ, ἠγαπημένε, τῶν κατ᾿ ἐμέ ῥύποις ἁμαρτημάτων κατεστιγμένος, οὐ φοβεῖται τήν τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων ἐπιστασίαν; ὑφ᾿ ὧν κατά θείαν ψῆφον τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς τό πέρας δεχόμενος, βίᾳ τοῦ σώματος μετ᾿ ὁργῆς ἐξωθεῖται καί μή βουλόμενος. Τίς κεκηλιδωμένην ἑαυτῷ συνεπαγόμενος τήν συνείδησιν οὐ δέδοικε τήν ὡμοτάτην τῶν πονηρῶν δαιμόνων καί βάρβαρον ἔμπτωσιν, ἑκάστου κατά τόν ἀέρα τοῦτον μετά τήν ἔξοδον, διά τοῦ μέσου πάθους ἀπηνῶς πρός ἑαυτόν διασπῶντος τήν ἀθλίαν ψυχήν, καί τῷ ἐλέγχῳ τῶν αὐτῇ πεπραγμένων καταισχύνοντος, καί πάσης ἐμποιοῦντος αὐτῇ τῆς ἐπί τοῖς μέλλουσιν ἀγαθοῖς ἐλπίδος ἀπόγνωσιν; Ταύτην σωτηρίως διατρέφει τήν λύπην, ἡ μετά τήν γινομένην κατά τόν ἀέρα πρός τά πνευματικά τῆς πονηρίας διάγνωσιν, τῆς τῶν ἐν ᾅδη ψυχῶν καταστάσεως ἀκριβής ἀνατύπωσις· ὅπως ἐν σκότῳ βαθεῖ διάγωσι καί βαρυτάτῃ σιγῇ, τροφήν ἔχουσαι τούς δριμυτάτους στεναγμούς καί τά δάκρυα, καί τήν ἐπί τούτοις κατήφειαν· ἐκδεχόμεναι διά παντός, ἄλλο μέν οὐδέν, μόνην δέ τήν ἐπί τῇ θείᾳ ψήφῳ δικαίαν κατάκρισιν. Ταύτην συνίστησι τήν λύπην ἡ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐλπίς· ἡ τῆς φοβερᾶς καί πανενδόξου παρουσίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ μεγαλειότητης· ἡ φρικωδεστάτη τῆς κρίσεως ἡμέρα, κατά διάνοιαν συνεχῶς μελετωμένη· καθ᾿ ἥν οὐρανός τε καί γῆ, καί πᾶς ὁ τῶν ὁρωμένων διάκοσμος ῥοιζηδόν παρελεύσεται· στοιχείων καυσουμένων καί λυομένων τῷ ἀπλέτῳ πυρί, προκαθαίροντι διά τήν ἐπίβασιν τοῦ καθαροῦ, τήν ὑφ᾿ ἡμῶν ῥυποθεῖσαν κτίσιν· ἐν ᾗ θρόνοι προτίθενται, καί Παλαιός ἡμερῶν προκαθέζεται, καί τά τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων καί ἀρχαγγέλων ἄπειρα τάγματα, μετά φόβου καί τρόμου λειτουργικῶς παρεστήκασι· καί πᾶσα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις εἰς ἐξέτασιν ἄγεται· καί