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of zeal, so that it may be possessed by us, so as to manage all our affairs, and to place them in safety and in great peace. For just as it is not possible for a ship sailing with a fair wind either to be hindered or to be sunk, as long as it enjoys a favorable and continuous breeze, but also provides a great reputation for progress after its landing to both the sailors and the passengers, giving rest to the former and not allowing them to toil at the oars, and freeing the latter from all fear, and presenting its own course as a most pleasant sight; so also a soul fortified by the divine Spirit is altogether superior to the tempests of life, and it cuts the way that leads to heaven more vigorously than that ship, inasmuch as it is not escorted by the wind, but has all its sails filled and clean by the Paraclete himself, and casts out everything slack and loose from our mind. For just as the wind, falling upon a slack sail, would not be effective; so neither does the Spirit endure to remain in a slack soul, but there is need of much tension, of vehemence. Therefore our mind must be on fire, and our works must be stretched taut and firm everywhere; for example, when we pray, we must do this with great tension, stretching our soul toward heaven, not with ropes, but with vehement eagerness. When we show mercy again, we need tension, lest care for the household, and responsibility for children, and concern for a wife, and fear of poverty coming in, should slacken the sail. For if we stretch it on all sides with the hope of things to come, it receives well the energy of the Spirit; and none of those perishable and wretched things will fall into it, but even if something should fall in, it has not harmed it at all, but was quickly repelled by its watertightness and fell out, having been shaken off. For this reason, therefore, we need much tension; for we too sail a great and spacious sea, full of many beasts, and of many reefs, producing many storms for us, and out of the middle of clear weather cha 63.236 raising a most difficult squall. It is necessary, therefore, if we would wish to sail with ease and without danger, to stretch the sails, that is, our choice; for this is sufficient for us; since even Abraham, when he stretched his desire toward God, and presented his choice perfected, what else did he need? Nothing, but He believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness. And faith is of a genuine choice. He offered up his son, and without slaying him, he received the reward of one who had slain him, and though the deed was not done, the reward was given. Let our sails, therefore, be clean and new, not grown old; For whatever is becoming old and growing aged is near to disappearing; not pierced with holes, so as to contain the energy of the Spirit; For the natural man, he says, does not receive the things of the Spirit. For just as spiders' webs would not receive the rush of the Spirit; so neither a worldly soul, nor a natural man, will ever be able to receive the grace of the Spirit. For our reasonings differ in no way from those, preserving coherence in appearance only, but deprived of all power. But ours are not such, if we are sober; but whatever may fall in, it contains all, and is superior to all things, stronger than any dizziness. For let there be some spiritual man, and let ten thousand terrible things befall him; yet he is captured by none of these. And what am I saying? Let poverty be brought on, disease, insults, railings, scoffs, blows, every kind of punishment, every kind of mockery and reproaches and insults; but as if he were outside the inhabited world and freed from the passions of the body, so he will laugh at them all. And that these words are not a boast, I think there are many even now; such as those who have occupied the deserts. But that is nothing wonderful, one says. But I say that even among those in the cities there are such unsuspected men. But if you wish, I shall also be able to point out some of those of old. And that you may learn, consider Paul for me; what terrible thing did he not suffer, what did he not endure? But he bore all things nobly. This man indeed

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σπουδῆς, ὥστε αὐτὸ κατασχεθῆναι παρ' ἡμῶν, ὥστε πάντα τὰ ἡμέτερα οἰκονομεῖν, καὶ ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ ποιεῖν καὶ ἐν εἰρήνῃ πολλῇ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὴν ἐξ οὐρίων πλέουσαν ναῦν οὐκ ἔστιν οὔτε ἐμποδισθῆναι, οὔτε βαπτισθῆναι, ἕως ἂν ἀπολαύῃ δεξιοῦ τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ διηνεκοῦς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὴν μετὰ τὴν κάθοδον ἐπιδόσεως δόξαν παρέχεται τοῖς τε ναύταις, τοῖς τε ἐπιβάταις, τοὺς μὲν διαναπαύουσα, καὶ οὐκ ἐῶσα ταῖς κώπαις προσταλαιπωρεῖν, τοὺς δὲ παντὸς ἀπαλλάττουσα δέους, καὶ θέαμα ἥδιστον τὸν αὑτῆς παρεχομένη δρόμον· οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴ τῷ θείῳ ὠχυρωμένη Πνεύματι, πάντως μέν ἐστιν ἀνωτέρα τῶν τρικυμιῶν τῶν βιωτικῶν, τὴν δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν φέρουσαν ὁδὸν σφοδρότερον ἐκείνης τέμνει τῆς νεὼς, ἅτε οὐχ ὑπ' ἀνέμου παραπεμπομένη, ἀλλ' ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Παρακλήτου πεπληρωμένα ἔχουσα τὰ ἱστία πάντα καὶ καθαρὰ, καὶ πᾶν χαῦνον καὶ διαλελυμένον ἐκβάλλει ἐκ τῆς διανοίας τῆς ἡμετέρας. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἰς χαῦνον ἱστίον ἐμπίπτων ὁ ἄνεμος, οὐκ ἂν ἐνεργήσειεν· οὕτως οὐδὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα εἰς χαύνην ψυχὴν παραμένειν ἀνέχεται, ἀλλὰ δεῖ πολλῆς τῆς τάσεως, τῆς σφοδρότητος. Ὥστε πεπυρωμένην ἡμῖν εἶναι χρὴ τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ πανταχοῦ τετάσθαι ἡμῶν τὰ ἔργα καὶ τετονῶσθαι· οἷον, ὅταν εὐχώμεθα, μετὰ πολλῆς τοῦτο τῆς τάσεως δεῖ ποιεῖν, ἀποτείνοντας πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν τὴν ψυχὴν, οὐ σχοινίοις, ἀλλὰ προθυμίᾳ σφοδρᾷ. Ὅταν ἐλεῶμεν πάλιν, τάσεως ἡμῖν δεῖ, μήποτε φροντὶς οἰκίας, καὶ προστασία παίδων, καὶ γυναικὸς ἐπιμέλεια, καὶ δέος πενίας ἐπεισελθὸν, χαυνώσῃ τὸ ἱστίον. Ἂν γὰρ τῇ τῶν μελλόντων ἐλπίδι τείνωμεν αὐτὸ πάντοθεν, καλῶς δέχεται τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν ἐνέργειαν· ἐκείνων δὲ τῶν ἐπικήρων καὶ ταλαιπώρων οὐδὲν εἰς αὐτὴν ἐμπεσεῖται, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἐμπέσῃ, αὐτὴν μὲν οὐδὲν ἔβλαψεν, ἀπεκρούσθη δὲ ταχέως τῷ στεγανῷ καὶ ἐξέπεσεν ἀποτιναχθέν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τοίνυν πολλῆς ἡμῖν δεῖ τῆς τάσεως· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς θάλατταν πλέομεν μεγάλην καὶ εὐρύχωρον, πολλῶν μὲν θηρίων γέμουσαν, πολλῶν δὲ σκοπέλων, πολλοὺς δὲ ἡμῖν χειμῶνας τίκτουσαν, καὶ ἐξ αἰθρίας μέσης χα 63.236 λεπωτάτην ζάλην ἐπεγείρουσαν. ∆εῖ τοίνυν, εἴ γε βουλοίμεθα μετὰ εὐμαρείας πλεῖν καὶ ἀκινδύνως, τείνειν τὰ ἱστία, τουτέστι, τὴν προαίρεσιν τὴν ἡμετέραν· ἀρκεῖ γὰρ ἡμῖν τοῦτο· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ, ἐπειδὴ τὸν πόθον ἔτεινε πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν παρέστησεν ἀπηρτισμένην, τίνος ἑτέρου ἐδεήθη; οὐδενός, ἀλλ' Ἐπίστευσε τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην. Ἡ δὲ πίστις προαιρέσεως γνησίας ἐστίν. Ἀνήνεγκε τὸν υἱὸν, καὶ μὴ σφάξας, τὴν τοῦ σφάξαντος ἀμοιβὴν ἐδέξατο, καὶ τοῦ ἔργου μὴ γενομένου ὁ μισθὸς ἐδίδοτο. Ἔστω τοίνυν ἡμῖν καθαρὰ καὶ καινὰ τὰ ἱστία, μὴ πεπαλαιωμένα· Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ παλαιούμενον καὶ γηράσκον ἐγγὺς ἀφανισμοῦ· μὴ ἐκτετρημένα, ὥστε στέγειν τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν ἐνέργειαν· Ψυχικὸς γὰρ ἄνθρωπος, φησὶν, οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ τῶν ἀραχνῶν ὑφάσματα Πνεύματος ῥύμην οὐκ ἂν δέξαιτο· οὕτως οὐδὲ ψυχὴ βιωτικὴ, οὐδὲ ἄνθρωπος ψυχικὸς Πνεύματος χάριν δέξασθαι δυνήσεταί ποτε. Ἐκείνων γὰρ οὐδὲν διεστήκασιν ἡμῶν οἱ λογισμοὶ, ὄψει μὲν μόνον ἀκολουθίαν σώζοντες, δυνάμεως δὲ ἀπεστερημένοι πάσης. Ἀλλ' οὐ τὰ ἡμέτερα τοιαῦτα, ἐὰν νήφωμεν· ἀλλὰ ὅπερ ἂν ἐμπέσῃ, πάντα στέγει, καὶ πάντων ἐστὶν ἀνώτερος, πάσης ἴλιγγος ἰσχυρότερος. Ἔστω γάρ τις πνευματικὸς ἀνὴρ, καὶ μυρία αὐτῷ συμπιπτέτω δεινά· ἀλλ' οὐδενὶ τούτων ἁλίσκεται. Καὶ τί λέγω; ἐπαγέσθω πενία, νόσος, ὕβρεις, λοιδορίαι, σκώμματα, πληγαὶ, πᾶν εἶδος κολάσεως, πᾶν εἶδος χλευασίας καὶ ὀνειδισμῶν καὶ ὕβρεων· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐκτὸς ὢν τῆς οἰκουμένης καὶ τῶν τοῦ σώματος ἀπηλλαγμένος παθῶν, οὕτως ἁπάντων καταγελάσεται. Καὶ ὅτι οὐ κόμπος τὰ ῥήματα, πολλοὺς μὲν οἶμαι εἶναι καὶ νῦν· οἷον, τῶν τὰς ἐρημίας κατειληφότων. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν, φησίν. Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω, καὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἀνυπονοήτους ἄνδρας εἶναι τοιούτους. Εἰ δὲ βούλει, καὶ τῶν πάλαι τινὰς ἐπιδεῖξαι δυνήσομαι. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ἐννόει μοι τὸν Παῦλον· τί μὲν οὐκ ἔπαθε δεινὸν, τί δὲ οὐχ ὑπέστη; ἀλλὰ πάντα ἔφερε γενναίως. Τοῦτον δὴ