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do you hope to escape my hands, because leaving me you went to Christ and just now disregarded my commands? But you will not escape at all; for where will you go? You will never be able to escape me at all, the one who led Adam and Eve out of paradise, the one who made Cain his brother's murderer, the one who at the time of the flood enticed everyone together to fall miserably at last into error and dreadful death by my deceptions, the one who led David astray to adultery and murder, the one who raised war against all the saints and killed many, how do you, who are utterly weak, dare and expect to escape me at all? Hearing these things, O Master and my God and creator, my maker and judge, who has authority over my soul and body as the fashioner of both, I, wretched man, shudder and am wholly afraid, I tremble all over. The deceitful one brings forth and says to me, O my Christ, that: Behold, you do not keep vigil; behold, you are not continent; behold, you do not possess prayer, you do not make prostrations, you do not show the labors which you formerly began, and for these things alone I will separate you from Christ and I will take you with me into the unquenchable fire. I therefore, you know, Master, as I have never trusted in works or deeds for my soul's salvation, but I have taken refuge in your mercy, O lover of mankind, trusting that you will save me freely, O all-merciful one, (312) and you will have mercy as God, as you once did on the harlot and as on the prodigal son, who said, 'I have sinned!' Thus believing I ran, thus trusting I came, thus hoping, Master, I have come to you; and now let him not boast against me, your servant, let him not say: Where is your Christ, where is your helper? Did he not himself hand you over to my hands? For if he deceives me and takes me captive, let him not ascribe this to my choice nor to my sloth, but assigning everything to your abandonment of me, he will say such things to me: See, the one in whom you trusted; see, the one to whom you went; see, the one you think loves you, the one you think holds you dear and boasts to have you as a brother and friend, a son and heir, how he has abandoned you,

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ἐλπίζεις χεῖρας, ὅτι με καταλιπών προσῆλθες Χριστῷ κἀμοῦ τάς ἐντολάς ἄρτι παρελογίσω; Ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἐκφύγεις οὐδαμῶς˙ ποῦ γάρ καί ἀπελεύσῃ; Οὐ διαδράσαι πώποτε ὅλως ἐμέ ἰσχύσεις, τόν τόν Ἀδάμ ἐξάξαντα καί Εὔαν παραδείσου, τόν καί τόν Κάϊν ἀδελφοῦ ποιήσαντα φονέα, τόν ἐπί τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ πάντας ὁμοῦ τῇ πλάνῃ καί τῷ θανάτῳ τῷ φρικτῷ περιπεσεῖν ἀθλίως εἰς τέλος δελεάσαντα ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἐξαπάταις, τόν τόν ∆αβίδ πλανήσαντα πρός μοιχείαν καί φόνον, τόν ἄραντα πρός ἅπαντας πόλεμον τούς ἁγίους καί πολλούς θανατώσαντα, σύ με πῶς διαδράσαι ὅλως θαρρεῖς καί προσδοκᾷς, ὁ ἀσθενής εἰς ἅπαν; Ταῦτα ἀκούων, ∆έσποτα καί Θεέ μ ου καί κτίστα, δημιουργέ μου καί κριτά, ὁ ἔχων ἐξουσίαν ψυχῆς ἐμῆς καί σώματος ὡς ἀμφοτέρων πλάστης, φρίττω καί ὅλος δέδοικα, ὅλος τρέμω ὁ τάλας. Προβάλλεται καί λέγει μοι ὁ δόλιος, Χριστέ μου, ὅτι˙ Ἰδού, οὐκ ἀγρυπνεῖς, ἰδού, οὐκ ἐγκρατεύῃ, ἰδού, εὐχήν οὐκ κέκτησαι, οὐ ποιεῖς προσκυνήσεις, κόπους οὐκ ἐπιδείκνυσαι, οἵους πάλαι ἀπήρξω, καί διά ταῦτα μόνα σε τοῦ Χριστοῦ σε χωρίσω καί μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ σε λήψομαι ἐν πυρί τῷ ἀσβέστῳ. Ἐγώ οὖν, οἶδας, ∆έσποτα, ὡς οὐδέποτε ἔργοις ἐπίστευσα ἤ πράξεσι ψυχῆς μου σωτηρίαν, ἀλλά τῷ σῷ, φιλάνθρωπε, προσέδραμον ἐλέει θαρρήσας, ὅτι σώσεις με δωρεάν, πανοικτίρμον, (312) καί ἐλεήσεις ὡς Θεός καθώς ποτε τήν πόρνην καί ὡς τόν ἄσωτον υἱόν, τό Ἥμαρτον! εἰπόντα. Οὕτω πιστεύσας ἔδραμον, οὕτω θαρρήσας ἦλθον, οὕτως ἐλπίσας, ∆έσποτα, πρός σέ παρεγενόμην˙ καί νῦν μή ἐγκαυχήσηται κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ, τοῦ σοῦ δούλου, μή εἴπῃ˙ Ποῦ σου ὁ Χριστός, ποῦ σου ὁ ἀντιλήπτωρ; Οὐχί ἐκεῖνος σέ αὐτός παρέδωσε χερσί μου; Εἰ γάρ καί ἀπατήσῃ με καί αἰχμάλωτον λάβῃ, οὐ μή τῇ προαιρέσει μου οὐδέ τῇ ῥαθυμίᾳ τοῦτο προσεπιγράψηται, τῇ δέ ἐγκαταλείψει σῇ τό πᾶν ἀναθέμενος τά τοιαῦτα ἐρεῖ μοι˙ Ἴδε, εἰς ὅν ἐθάρρησας, ἴδε, εἰς ὅν προςῆλθες, ἴδε, ὅν οἴου σε φιλεῖν, ὅν οἴου ἀγαπᾶν σε καί ἀδελφόν καί φίλον σε, υἱόν καί κληρονόμον ἐνεκαυχῶ κεκτῆσθαί σε, πῶς ἐγκατέλιπέ σε,