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And I was slow to visit, the brothers will report the reason; but I, even when not writing, have you always in my heart. Be strong, therefore, still and be courageous in the Lord, bearing nobly the present sorrows for the sake of the future goods. Day by day, proceed cheerfully on the straight road of God; pursue the passions, cleanse the heart, please God, to whom you have dedicated yourself, for whom you were also scourged, for whom also is the exile. He therefore will give you as a reward His kingdom, if you endure Him until the end. Pray for us. The brother with me greets you. The Lord be with you. 349 {1To Symeon, my child}1 Greetings, Symeon my child. Behold, a word to you again; and if it is that it is late, the brothers will relate. How are you, how are you living? See, child, build upon the work of God, which was granted to you by Him, good conduct, endurance, long-suffering, stillness in your confinement; since I heard that you are making excursions and I was grieved, because it is not the will of God nor profitable for your soul. Christ called you to His testimony, not to heal bodies, to sit still and cleanse yourself from all evil, not to wander about and be filled with fantasies. Do not be grieved that I remind you, but be on your guard, my child, from now on and please God and pray for me, the sinner. The brother Nicholas greets you. The Lord be with you. 350 {1To Parthenius, my child}1 O good Parthenius, greetings, my desired child, son of true light. Again I speak to you through this letter, again I see you and embrace you; that I was late, the brothers will report the reason, nevertheless, that I have you unforgotten in my heart, praying that you remain safe, perfected for every good work. How good is your course; for it is a confession of Christ. How praiseworthy is your endurance; for it is a cause of the kingdom of heaven. Do not then grow weary, O my child; be patient a little longer, the Lord is near to those who wait for him. what joy you are about to have in the departure either from this place or from the body. But who is worthy now to attain the second? Fear God, pay attention to yourself, hate pleasure as exceedingly painful, love God as the only joy; may He keep you unharmed until the end. Pray for me, the sinner. The brother with me greets you. The Lord be with you. 351 {1To Hegesimus, my child}1 Grace to you from God, Hegesimus, my beloved child; I was slow to visit you, but the brothers will relate the reason. I ask and beseech you to persist and patiently endure the exile, the confinement. See to the place and the manner of your sitting, that it may be in the Lord; watch the unseen enemies, that they may not find a place in you through the reception of evil thoughts. Daily there is war but also crowns, if we do not succumb. So live as an angel, as a martyr of Christ; and if you are made listless and wounded by the enemy, but rise up quickly, be cleansed, be secured, and so proceeding, be saved, praying also for me, the sinner. The one with me greets you. The Lord be with you. 352 {1To Dorotheus, my child}1 May you be blessed by the Lord, my child Dorotheus; grace to you and mercy, strength and fortitude. The brothers will report the lateness of my visit. See, brother, how you conduct yourself, how you live; do not be disheartened, but be long-suffering; do not grow weary, but endure. do not open a door to evil thoughts, but, when they rise up, resist, gnash your teeth at them, and they in the name of the Lord will go away, having been put to flight. chant the psalms you know, pray much; in the heart the fear of the Lord, in the mouth the glory of God, so that you may be kept unharmed. For the rest, pray for me, the sinner. The brother with me greets you. The Lord be with you. 353 {1To Peter, my child}1 You yourself do not cease in every letter to praise us who are unhonored, but we, perceiving the things concerning ourselves, groan rather than rejoice, not being so. Nevertheless we accept your faith, beloved child,

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καὶ ἐβράδυνα ἐπισκέψασθαι, τὴν αἰτίαν ἀπαγγελοῦσιν οἱ ἀδελφοί· ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ μὴ γράφων ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου ἔχω σε ἀεί. ἀνδρίζου οὖν ἔτι καὶ ἴσχυε ἐν Κυρίῳ, φέρων γενναίως τὰ παρόντα λυπηρὰ διὰ τὰ μέλλοντα ἀγαθά. ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας εὐθύμως πορεύου εἰς ὁδὸν εὐθεῖαν θεοῦ· δίωκε τὰ πάθη, κάθαιρε τὴν καρδίαν, εὐαρέστει θεῷ, ᾧ ἀνέθου σεαυτόν, δι' ὃν καὶ ἐμαστίχθης, ὑπὲρ οὗ καὶ ἡ ἐξορία. αὐτὸς οὖν ἀνταποδώσει σοι ἀνταπόδομα τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ, ἐὰν μέχρι τέλους ὑπομείνῃς αὐτόν. Προσεύχου περὶ ἡμῶν. ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὁ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀσπάζεται. ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. 349 {1Συμεὼν τέκνῳ}1 Χαίροις, Συμεὼν τέκνον μου. ἰδού σοι πάλιν ὁ λόγος· εἰ δὲ ὅτι βραδύ, διηγήσονται οἱ ἀδελφοί. πῶς ἔχεις, πῶς διαζῇς; βλέπε, τέκνον, ἐποικοδόμησον ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὃ ἐχαρίσθη σοι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, τὴν καλὴν ἀναστροφήν, τὴν ὑπομονήν, τὴν μακροθυμίαν, τὴν ἐν τῷ περιορισμῷ ἀκινησίαν· ἐπειδὴ ἤκουσα ὅτι προόδους ποιεῖς καὶ ἐλυπήθην, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι θέλημα θεοῦ οὐδὲ συμφέρον τῇ ψυχῇ σου. ὁ Χριστός σε ἐκάλεσεν εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῦ, οὐκ εἰς τὸ ἰατρεύειν σώματα, εἰς τὸ καθέζεσθαι καὶ καθαίρειν ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ, οὐκ εἰς τὸ γυρεύειν καὶ φαντασιοκοπεῖσθαι. Μὴ λυπηθῇς ὅτι ὑπομνήσκω, ἀλλὰ φύλαξαι, τέκνον μου, ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ εὐαρέστει τῷ θεῷ καὶ εὔχου περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ. ὁ ἀδελφὸς Νικόλαος προσαγορεύει σε. ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. 350 {1Παρθενίῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ὦ καλὲ Παρθένιε, χαῖρε, τέκνον μου ποθητόν, υἱὲ φωτὸς ἀληθινοῦ. πάλιν ὁμιλῶ σοι διὰ τοῦ γράμματος, αὖθις ὁρῶ σε καὶ προσπτύσσομαι· ὅτι ἐβράδυνα, ἀπαγγελοῦσιν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὴν αἰτίαν, ὅμως ὅτι ἀληθάργητόν σε ἔχω ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, εὐχόμενός σε διαμένειν σῶον, κατηρτισμένον εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθόν. ὡς καλός σου ὁ δρόμος· ὁμολογία γὰρ Χριστοῦ. ὡς αἰνετόν σου τὸ ὑπομονητικόν· πρόξενον γὰρ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν. Μὴ δὴ ὀλιγωρήσειας, ὦ παῖ μου· ἔτι μικρὸν μακροθύμησον, ἐγγὺς Κύριος τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν αὐτόν. οἵαν χαρὰν μέλλεις ἔχειν ἐν τῇ ἀναλύσει ἢ τοῦ τόπου ἢ τοῦ σώματος. ἀλλὰ τίς ἄξιος ἄρτι τοῦ δευτέρου ἐπιτυχεῖν; φοβοῦ τὸν θεόν, πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ, μίσει τὴν ἡδονὴν ὡς λίαν ὀδυνηράν, φίλει τὸν θεὸν ὡς μόνην χαράν· ὅς σε καὶ διατηρήσειεν μέχρι τέλους ἀσινῆ. εὔχου περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ. ὁ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀδελφός σου προσαγορεύει. ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. 351 {1Ἡγησίμῳ τέκνῳ}1 Ἡ χάρις σοι ἀπὸ θεοῦ, Ἡγήσιμε, τέκνον μου ἠγαπημένον· ἐβράδυνα τοῦ ἐπισκέψασθαί σε, ἀλλὰ τὴν αἰτίαν διηγοῦνται οἱ ἀδελφοί. ἐρωτῶ σε καὶ παρακαλῶ ἐπιμένειν καὶ μακροθυμεῖν τὴν ἐξορίαν, τὸν περιορισμόν. ὅρα τὸν τόπον καὶ τὸν τρόπον τοῦ καθίσματός σου, ἵνα ἐν Κυρίῳ ᾖ· βλέπε τοὺς ἀοράτους ἐχθρούς, ἵνα μὴ λάβωσι χώραν ἐν σοὶ δι' ὑποδοχῆς τῶν πονηρῶν λογισμῶν. καθ' ἡμέραν πόλεμος ἀλλὰ καὶ στέφανοι, μὴ ὑποπιπτόντων ἡμῶν. Οὕτως βίωσον ὡς ἄγγελος, ὡς μάρτυς Χριστοῦ· κἂν ὑποχαυνοῦσαι καὶ τιτρώσκεσαι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, ἀλλὰ θᾶττον ἀνάστηθι, καθάρθητι, ἀσφαλίσθητι, καὶ οὕτω διεξιὼν διασῴζου, προσευχόμενος καὶ περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ. ὁ σὺν ἐμοί σε ἀσπάζεται. ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. 352 {1∆ωροθέῳ τέκνῳ}1 Εὐλογηθείης ὑπὸ Κυρίου, τέκνον μου ∆ωρόθεε· χάρις σοι καὶ ἔλεος, ἰσχὺς καὶ κραταίωσις. τὴν βραδυτῆτα τῆς ἐπισκέψεως ἀγγελοῦσιν οἱ ἀδελφοί. βλέπε, ἀδελφέ, πῶς ἀναστρέφῃ, πῶς διαζῇς· μὴ ἀθύμει, ἀλλὰ μακροθύμει· μὴ ὀλιγώρει, ἀλλ' ὑπόμενε. μὴ ἄνοιγε θύραν τοῖς πονηροῖς λογισμοῖς, ἀλλ', ὅταν ἐπαναστῶσιν, ἀνθίστα, βρῦξον πρὸς αὐτούς, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου οἰχήσονται φυγαδευθέντες. ψάλλε οὓς οἶδας ψαλμούς, εὔχου πλεῖστα· ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ φόβος Κυρίου, ἐν τῷ στόματι δόξα θεοῦ, ὅπως φυλαχθείης ἀσινής. Τὸ λοιπὸν εὔχου περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ. ὁ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀδελφὸς προσαγορεύει. ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. 353 {1Πέτρῳ τέκνῳ}1 Αὐτὸς οὐ διαλιμπάνεις δι' ἑκάστης ἐπιστολῆς ἐγκωμιάζειν ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀγεράστους, ἡμεῖς δέ, τὰ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐπαισθανόμενοι, στένομεν μᾶλλον ἢ χαίρομεν, μὴ ὄντες οὕτως. πλὴν ἀποδεχόμεθά σου, τέκνον ἠγαπημένον, τὴν πίστιν,