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the disposition of the soul is also made manifest with the gentleness of its ways. And I rejoiced as if receiving my own master present in person, and I embraced him in spirit, and encompassing him wholly in the space of my heart, I stored him away; and I glorified Christ our God for wisely implanting the law of love in men; according to which those who know how to properly care for the seeds of love can never be apart from one another, even if they are separated from each other by a great physical distance. But since the letter brought good news of worldly peace, it transformed sorrow into joy of the soul; it is fitting that we should be altogether grateful for it to God who granted it, so that we may not appear ungrateful for the good deed, having repaid our benefactor poorly. And we shall certainly be grateful, if we use the peace for its proper purpose, (609) and set aside the friendship toward the world and the world-ruler which has wickedly existed in us, and put an end, even if late, to the war being waged against God through the passions; and having made unbreakable treaties of peace with Him, in the putting away of the body, we may cease from enmity towards Him. For it is impossible for us to be loved by God, while we are in rebellion against Him through the passions, and while we endure paying tribute through wickedness to the evil tyrant and murderer of souls, the devil, without first being completely at war with the evil one. For until then we stand as enemies and adversaries of God, even if we fashion for ourselves the name of believers, as long as we wish to serve the passions of dishonor; and no benefit will remain for us from worldly peace, when the soul is ill-disposed, and is in rebellion against its own maker, and does not endure to be under His kingdom; being still sold to countless cruel masters, who urge it toward wickedness, and deceitfully prepare it to choose the road that leads to destruction rather than the one that saves. But when we become sober from the drunkenness of the passions, and rise up from the evil and tyrannical kingdom of the devil, and shake off his most bitter yoke from ourselves; and we perceive how much the friendship with him has corrupted us; then we shall receive the peaceful presence of the peaceful and meek King, Christ, coming invisibly upon us; and we will endure to be under His yoke, as He orders and regulates us by the laws of truth; and we will willingly accept to enter into friendship with Him, willingly bringing Him taxes and tributes, the fruits of righteousness brought to completion in us through the virtues according to His commandment. In which the only One who is without need, delighting for the sake of our salvation, will, as one who is true, grant us all things that He has promised us. And these are the things 'which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him'. For to this end He has also made us, that we might become partakers of the divine nature, and sharers of His eternity; and that we might appear like Him according to the deification which is by grace; for the sake of which is the whole constitution and persistence of all things that exist, and the production and generation of things that exist.

Let us therefore become worthy of the peace, my blessed master, by manfully cutting away from ourselves the passions within us that rebel against God. Let us waste away the body with all our strength, through which, when it is vigorous, the devil's entry to the soul takes place. Through divine (612) readings let us still the wandering mind, and lead it back again to God. With the rigors of self-control and vigilance, let us soberly subdue desire which is disorderly carried by appetite toward many things. With prayers and supplications and almsgiving, let us wisely calm our anger when it seethes and is agitated. By the fear of God and the threat of things to come, the senses which are moved and active without restraint,

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ἐμφαίνεσθαι μετά τῆς τῶν τρόπων ἐπιεικείας καί τῆς ψυχῆς ἡ διάθεσις. Καί ἤσθην ὥσπερ αὐτόν παρόντα δεξάμενος τόν ἐμόν δεσπότην, καί ἠσπασάμην τῷ πνεύματι, καί ὅλον τῷ χωρήματι τῆς καρδίας περιλαβών ἀπεθέμην· καί ἐδόξασα Χριστόν τόν Θεόν ἡμῶν σοφῶς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐμφῦντα τῆς ἀγάπης τόν νόμον· καθ᾿ ὅν ἀλλήλων ἀπεῖναι οὐδέποτε δύνασθαι, κἄν πολλῷ διεστήκασιν ἀλλήλων σωματικῶς τῷ τοπικῷ διαστήματι, οἱ τῶν σπερμάτων τῆς ἀγάπης δεόντως ἐπιμελεῖσθαι γινώσκοντες. Ἀλλ᾿ ἐπειδή εἰρήνης κοσμικῆς εὐαγγέλια τό γράμμα κόμισαν, εἰς χαράν τῆς ψυχῆς τήν λύπην μεθήρμοσε· δέον ἐστίν ἡμᾶς ὑπέρ αὐτῆς εἰκότως τῷ χαρισαμένῳ Θεῷ γενέσθαι πάντως εὐγνώμονας, ἵνα μή φανῶμεν ἀχάριστοι περί τήν εὐποιίαν, κακῶς τόν εὐεργέτην ἀνταμειψάμενοι. Γενησόμεθα δέ πάντως εὐγνώμονες, εἰς δέον τῇ εἰρήνῃ χρησάμενοι, (609) καί τήν πρός τόν κόσμον καί τόν κοσμοκράτορα, κακῶς ἡμῖν ἐνυπάρξασαν ἀθετήσαντες φιλίαν, καί διά τῶν παθῶν πρός τόν Θεόν συνιστάμενον κἄν ὀψέ ποτε καταλύσωμεν πόλεμον· καί σπονδάς ἀλύτους τῆς πρός αὐτόν εἰρήνης ποιήσαντες, ἐν τῇ καταργήσει τοῦ σώματος, τῆς πρός αὐτόν ἔχθρας παυσώμεθα. Ἀδύνατον γάρ ἐστιν ἡμᾶς φιλωθῆναι Θεῷ, διά τῶν παθῶν πρός αὐτόν στασιάζοντας, καί τῷ πονηρῷ τυράννῳ, καί φονευτῆ τῶν ψυχῶν διαβόλῳ διά κακίας δασμοφορεῖν ἀνεχομένους, μή πρότερον δι᾿ ὅλου πολεμωθέντας τῷ πονηρῷ. Μέχρι γάρ τότε τοῦ Θεοῦ καθεστήκαμεν ἐχθροί καί πολέμιοι, κἄν πιστῶν προσηγορίαν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς περιπλάττωμεν, μέχρις οὗ πάθεσιν ἀτιμίας δουλεύειν βουλώμεθα· καί οὐδέν ὄφελος ἡμῖν ἐκ τῆς κατά κόσμον εἰρήνης λοιπόν περιγεγήσεται, τῆς ψυχῆς κακῶς διακειμένης, καί πρός τόν ἴδιον ποιητήν στασιαζούσης, καί ὑπό τήν αὐτοῦ βασιλείαν γενέσθαι οὐκ ἀνεχομένης· ἔτι μυρίοις πεπραμένης ὡμοῖς δεσπόταις, εἰς κακίαν αὐτήν κατεπείγουσι, καί τήν ἀπώλειαν φέρουσαν ὁδόν τῆς σωζούσης μᾶλλον ἀπατηλῶς αἱρεῖσθαι παρασκευάζουσιν. Ἐπειδάν δέ τῆς τῶν παθῶν μέθης ἐκνήψωμεν, καί τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου πονηρᾶς κατεξαναστῶμεν καί τυραννικῆς βασιλείας, καί τόν αὐτοῦ πικρότατον ζυγόν ἑαυτῶν ἐκτιναξώμεθα· καί κατίδοιμεν ὅσον ἡμᾶς ἡ πρός αὐτόν φιλία κατέφθειρε· τηνικαῦτα δεξόμεθα τοῦ εἰρηνικοῦ καί πράου βασιλέως Χριστοῦ τήν εἰρηνικήν παρουσίαν ἐφ᾿ ἑαυτοῖς ἀοράτως γινομένην· καί ἀνεξόμεθα ὑπό τόν αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι ζυγόν, νόμοις ἀληθείας τάσσοντος ἡμᾶς καί ῥυθμίζοντος· καί τήν πρός αὐτόν στείλασθαι ἑκουσίως φιλίαν καταδεξόμεθα, φόρους αὐτῷ καί δασμούς ἑκουσίως προσάγοντες, τούς διά τῶν ἀρετῶν κατ᾿ ἐντολήν τελεσφορουμένους ἐν ἡμῖν τῆς δικαιοσύνης καρπούς. Οἷς ὑπέρ τῆς ἡμῶν σωτηρίας ἡδόμενος ὁ μόνος ἀπροσδεής, πάντα ἡμῖν χαρίσηται ὡς ἀψευδής, ὅσα ἡμῖν ἐπηγγείλατο. Τἀ δέ ἐστιν, Ἅ ὀφθαλμός οὐκ εἶδε, καί οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε, καί ἐπί καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἅ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεός τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν. Εἰς τοῦτο γάρ ἡμᾶς καί πεποίηκεν, ἵνα γενώμεθα θείας κοινωνοί φύσεως, καί τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀϊδιότητος μέτοχοι· καί φανῶμεν αὐτῷ ὅμοιοι κατά τήν ἐκ χάριτος θέωσιν· δι᾿ ἥν πᾶσά τε τῶν ὄντων ἡ σύστασίς ἐστι καί ἡ διαμονή, καί ἡ τῶν ὄντων παραγωγή καί γένεσις.

Γενώμεια τοίνυν ἄξιοι τῆς εἰρήνης, δέσποτά μου εὐλογημένε, τά ἐν ἡμῖν στασιάζοντα πρός Θεόν πάθη ἑαυτῶν ἀνδρικῶς περιελόντες. Τήξωμεν ὅση δύναμις τό σῶμα, δι᾿ οὗ σφριγῶντος ἡ τοῦ διαβόλου πρός τήν ψυχήν γένεσθαι εἴσοδος. Ἀναγνώσμασι (612) θείοις πλανώμενον στήσωμεν τόν νοῦν, καί πρός τόν Θεόν πάλιν ἐπαναγάγωμεν. Ἐγκρατείας τόνοις καί ἀγρυπνίας, κατ᾿ ὄρεξιν εἰς πολλά φερομένην ἀτάκτως τήν ἐπιθυμίαν, σωφρόντως καταστείλωμεν. Εὐχαῖς καί δεήσεσι καί ἐλεημοσύναις, τόν θυμόν ζέοντα καί ταρασσόμενον, σοφῶς κατευνάσωμεν. Φόβῳ Θεοῦ καί ἀπειλῇ τῶν μελλόντων, ἀκολάστως κινούμενά τε καί ἐνεργοῦντα τά αἰσθητήρια,