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and persevering in His love alone and dying to their own will every hour, these are also genuine friends, these are co-heirs, these are also martyrs by their will alone, without cardings, hangings, braziers and cauldrons and consuming fire and cutting swords. At these things all the super-cosmic ranks shouted together: Just is your judgment, All-merciful One, let it be written, and let it be sealed now and unto the ages! Amen.

XLII.

That those who have already been united to God from here through participation in the Holy Spirit, departing from this life will be with Him there forever; but if not, the opposite will happen then to those who are otherwise disposed here. (310)

The beginning of life is an end for me and the end is a beginning for me. Whence I have come, I do not know; where I am, I do not know; and where I will arrive again, I do not know, wretch that I am. I am born earth from the earth, body from a body, corruptible from the corruptible in every way, and being wholly mortal, I spend a little time on earth living in the flesh and I die and I begin another life, passing from this one. I leave the body in the earth, that will be resurrected and live a unending life unto the ages. Now therefore look upon me, O God, now have compassion, O Only One, now have mercy on me! Behold, my strength has failed, I have approached old age, O Savior, the gates of death. The ruler of the world is coming, wanting to seek out my works and my deeds, the shameful and profane ones; the executioners stand by, looking at me mercilessly and await the command to take and drag my wretched soul down to the pit of Hades, O Savior. You therefore who are merciful by nature, the only lover of mankind, the all-merciful Lord, have mercy on me then and hold not my evils against me, do not abandon me, (311) give no place against me to my deceitful enemy, who every hour threatens me, roars against me, gnashes his teeth and: 'In what do you trust,' he says to me, 'and how to escape from me'

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καί τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ αὐτοῦ μόνῃ προσκαρτεροῦντες καί τῷ ἰδίῳ θνῄσκοντες θελήματι καθ᾿ ὥραν, οὗτοι καί φίλοι γνήσιοι, οὗτοι συγκληρονόμοι, οὗτοι καί μάρτυρές εἰσι τῇ προαιρέσει μόνῃ, χωρίς ξεσμῶν, ἀναρτισμῶν, ἐσχαρῶν καί λεβήτων καί κατακαίοντος πυρός καί ξιφῶν τῶν τεμνόντων. Πρός ταῦτα ὑπερκόσμιαι ὁμοῦ ἅπασαι τάξεις ἠλάλαξαν˙ ∆ικαία σου ἡ κρίσις, πανοικτίρμον, γραφήτω, σφραγισθήτω τε νῦν καί εἰς τούς αἰῶνας! Ἀμήν.

ΜΒ'.

Ὅτι οἱ τῷ Θεῷ ἀπ᾿ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη διά τῆς τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος μετουσίας ἑνωθέντες, ἐκδημοῦντες τοῦ βίου εἰς αἰῶνας αὐτῷ ἐκεῖθεν συνέσονται˙ εἰ δ᾿ οὖν, ἀλλά τό ἀνάπαλιν τοῖς ἄλλως ἔχουσιν ἐνταῦθα τότε γενήσεται. (310)

Ἀρχή τοῦ βίου τέλος μοι καί τό τέλος ἀρχή μοι. Τό ὅθεν ἥκω, ἀγνοῶ, τό ποῦ εἰμι, οὐκ οἶδα, καί ποῦ αὖθις ἀφίξομαι, οὐ γινώσκω, ὁ τάλας. Γεννῶμαι γῆ ἀπό τῆς γῆς, ἀπό σώματος σῶμα, ἀπό φθαρτοῦ πάντως φθαρτός, καί θνητός ὅλως πέλων μικρόν ἐν γῇ χρονοτριβῶ ζῶν ἐν σαρκί καί θνῄσκω καί βίου ἄλλου ἄρχομαι μεταβαίνων ἐκ τούτου. Ἐῶ τό σῶμα ἐν τῇ γῇ ἀναστήσεσθαι μέλλον καί ἀτελεύτητον ζωήν ζήσεσθαι εἰς αἰῶνας. Νῦν οὖν ἐπίβλεψον, Θεέ, νῦν σπλαγχνίθητι, μόνε, νῦν με ἐλέησον! Ἰδού, ἐξέλιπεν ἰσχύς μου, εἰς γῆρας, Σῶτερ, ἤγγισα, εἰς πρόπυλα θανάτου. Ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου ἔρχεται ἀναζητῆσαι θέλων τά ἔργα καί τάς πράξεις μου, τάς αἰσχράς καί βεβήλους˙ οἱ δήμιοι παρίστανται ἀπηνῶς με ὁρῶντες καί πρόσταγμα ἐκδέχονται λαβεῖν καί κατασπάσαι εἰς ᾅδου, Σῶτερ, βάραθρον ψυχήν μου τήν ἀθλίαν. Σύ οὖν ὁ φύσει εὔσπλαγχνος, ὁ φιλάνθρωπος μόνος, ὁ πανοικτίρμων Κύριος, ἐλέησόν με τότε καί μή μνησικακήσῃς μοι, μή με ἐγκαταλίπῃς, (311) μή δώσῃς χώραν κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ ἐχθρῷ μου τῷ δολίῳ, τῷ καθ᾿ ἑκάστην ὥραν μοι προσεπαπειλουμένῳ, ὠρυομένῳ κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ, τρίζοντι τούς ὀδόντας καί˙ Ποῦ θαρρεῖς, μοι λέγοντι, πῶς δέ διαφυγεῖν μου