267

we shall be now and always and unto all the ages of ages, amen.

55.

That for those who have kept the holy baptism pure the Holy Spirit remains; but from those who have defiled it, He departs. (399)

You know me, O Christ, as a worker of all lawlessness, but also truly a vessel of all kinds of evils; which I myself also know completely and I am filled with shame, and the pain of disgrace and affliction possesses me, and unbearable suffering grips my heart, but the light of Your face, having mystically shone upon me, has driven away my thoughts, has wiped away the suffering and has introduced joy in its place into my humble soul. Therefore I want to be afflicted, Christ, and affliction does not cling to me, and I am afflicted, lest because of this I should rather perish and be deprived of the joy to come. But of this, Master, never deprive me, neither now, nor in the age to come, my King. For the vision of Your face is joy, for You are not only all good, my God, but you also provide every good to those who see You, You fill with participation and communion those whom You see, not only in the future - alas for those who say this! - but even now in the body those who are worthy of You, that is, You see those who have cleansed themselves through repentance, and you grant them to see You clearly, in no way in an image or in a thought of the mind, (400) nor yet by bare memory, as some think, but in the reality of a divine and awesome deed, for the fulfillment indeed of the divine economy; for then You, O God, make a union of those who are separated, being the salvation of all sinners. For those who have received Your baptism from infancy and have lived life unworthily of it will have greater condemnation than the unbaptized, as You said, having insulted Your holy garment; and knowing this to be sure and true, Savior, you have given repentance for a second cleansing

267

ἐσόμεθα νῦν καί ἀεί καί εἰς πάντας τούς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, ἀμήν.

ΝΕ'.

Ὅτι τοῖς τό ἅγιον φυλάξασι βάπτισμα καθαρόν παραμένει τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον˙ ἀπό δέ τῶν μολυνάντων αὐτό ἀπανίσταται. (399)

Σύ με γινώσκεις, ὦ Χριστέ, πάσης παρανομίας ἐργάτην, ἀλλά καί κακῶν ὄντως παντοίων σκεῦος˙ ὅπερ οἶδα πάντωςα κἀγώ καί πέπλησμαι αἰσχύνης, καί ἐντροπῆς καί θλίψεως ὀδύνη με κατέχει, καί πόνος ὁ ἀφόρητος κρατεῖ μου τήν καρδίαν, ἀλλά τό φῶς σου λάμψαν μοι μυστικῶς τοῦ προσώπου τούς λογισμούς ἐδίωξεν, ἀπήλειψε τόν πόνον καί χαράν ἀντεισήγαγε τῇ ταπεινῇ ψυχῇ μου. Θέλω οὖν θλίβεσθαι, Χριστέ, καί θλῖψις οὐ κολλᾷ μοι, καί θλίβομαι, μή διά ταύτην μᾶλλον ἀπόλωμαι καί τῆς χαρᾶ στερηθῶ τῆς μελλούσης. Ἀλλά με ταύτης, ∆έσποτα, μηδέποτε στερήσῃς, μή νῦν, μή ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι, Βασιλεῦ μου. Χαρά γάρ τοῦ προσώπου σου ἡ θεωρία ἔστιν, οὐ γάρ ὑπάρχεις ἀγαθόν ἅπαν, Θεέ μου, μόνον, ἀλλά καί τοῖς ὁρῶσί σε πᾶν ἀγαθόν παρέχεις, μετουσίᾳ μεθέξει τε ἐμπιπλᾷς, οὕσπερ βλέπεις, οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι - φεῦ τούς τοῦτο λαλοῦντας! - ἀλλά καί νῦν ἐν σώματι τούς ὄντας σου ἀξίους, ἤγουν καθάραντας αὐτούς διά τῆς μετανοίας ὁρᾷς, ὁρᾶν σε δέ τρανῶς κἀκείνοις ἐμπαρέχεις οὐδαμῶς ἐν φαντάσματι ἤ νοός ἐνθυμήσει, (400) ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ μνήμῃ τῇ ψιλῇ, ὥς τινες αὖ νοοῦσιν, ἀλλ᾿ ἀληθείᾳ πράγματος θείου καί φρικτοῦ ἔργου, εἰς ἀποπλήρωσιν ὄντως οἰκονομίας θείας˙ τηνικαῦτα γάρ ἕνωσιν ποιεῖς τῶν διεστώτων σύ ὁ Θεός, ἁμαρτωλῶν πάντων ὤν σωτηρία. Οἱ γάρ τό βάπτισμα σό σόν λαβόντες ἐκ νηπίων καί ἀναξίως ζήσαντες τούτου κατά τόν βίον ἕξουσι τό κατάκριμα πλεῖον τῶν ἀβαπτίστων, ὡς εἶπας, ἐνυβρίσαντες στολήν σου τήν ἁγίαν˙ καί τοῦτο, Σῶτερ, βέβαιον καί ἀληθές γινώσκων, δέδωκας τήν μετάνοιαν εἰς κάθαρσιν δευτέραν