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40. A work of love is beneficence toward one's neighbor from disposition, and long-suffering and patience; and to make use of things with right reason.

41. The one who loves God does not grieve, nor is grieved by anyone over temporary things; but one salutary grief he both causes and feels, which the blessed Paul both felt and caused the Corinthians.

42. The one who loves God lives an angelic life on earth, fasting and keeping vigil, chanting and praying, and always thinking good things concerning every person.

43. If one desires anything, he also strives to obtain it; but of all good and desirable things the Divine is better and incomparably more desirable; how much zeal, therefore, ought we to show, so that we may obtain this which is by nature good and desirable.

44. Do not pollute your flesh with shameful deeds, and do not defile the soul with evil thoughts (969) and the peace of God will come upon you, bringing love.

45. Discipline your flesh with fasting and vigil, and devote yourself unweariedly to psalmody and prayer; and the sanctification of self-control will come upon you, bringing love.

46. He who has been deemed worthy of divine knowledge, and has acquired its enlightenment through love, will never be fanned by the spirit of vainglory [unus Reg. δαίμονος]; but he who has not yet been deemed worthy of it, is easily carried about by it [edit. et unus Reg. φέρεται]. If, therefore, such a one in all things that are done by him looks to God, as doing all things for His sake, with God he will easily escape it.

47. He who has not yet obtained the divine knowledge which is actualized through love, thinks highly of the things done by him according to God. But he who has been deemed worthy to obtain it, says with feeling the words of the patriarch Abraham, which he spoke when he was deemed worthy of the divine epiphany: I am earth and ashes.

48. He who fears the Lord always has humility as his companion; and through its reflections, he comes to divine love and thanksgiving. For he remembers his former way of life in the world, and his various transgressions, and the temptations that happened to him from his youth; and how the Lord delivered him from all of them, and transferred him from a life of passion to a life according to God; and together with fear, he also acquires love, always giving thanks with much humility to the benefactor and pilot of our life.

49. Do not soil your mind by tolerating thoughts of desire and anger, lest falling away from pure prayer, you fall into the spirit of acedia.

50. The mind falls from its confidence toward God, whenever it becomes a companion to evil or filthy thoughts.

51. The foolish man, being led by the passions, when he is moved and disturbed by anger, irrationally hastens to flee the brethren; but when again he is inflamed by desire, repenting he runs back again to meet them. But the prudent man, in both cases does the opposite. For in the case of anger, having cut off the causes of the disturbance, he rids himself of grief toward the brethren; but in the case of desire, he exercises self-control over irrational impulse and association.

52. In time of temptations, do not leave your monastery; but bear nobly the waves of thoughts, and especially those of grief and acedia. For thus having been tested providentially through afflictions (972), you will have a firm hope in God. But if you leave, you will be found unapproved and unmanly and unstable.

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μ΄. Ἔργον ἀγάπης ἐστίν ἡ εἰς τόν πλησίον ἐκ διαθέσεως εὐεργεσία καί μακροθυμία καί ὑπομονή· καί τό μετά ὀρθοῦ λόγου χρήσασθαι τοῖς πράγμασι.

μα΄. Ὁ ἀγαπῶν τόν Θεόν οὐ λυπεῖ, οὐδέ λυπεῖται πρός τινα διά πρόσκαιρα· μίαν δέ λύπης καί λυπεῖ καί λυπεῖται σωτήριον, ἥν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος καί ἐλυπήθη καί ἐλύπησε τούς Κορινθίους.

μβ΄. Ὁ ἀγαπῶν τόν Θεόν, ἀγγελικόν βίον ἐπί γῆς ζῇ, νηστεύων καί ἀγρυπνῶν, ψάλλων καί προσευχόμενος, καί περί παντός ἀνθρώπους ἀεί καλά λογιζόμενος.

μγ΄. Εἰ οὗτινός τις ἐπιθυμεῖ, τούτου καί τυχεῖν ἀγωνίζεται· πάντων δέ τῶν ἀγαθῶν καί ἐπιθυμητῶν ἀγαθώτερον τό Θεῖον καί ἐπιθυμητότερον ἀσυγκρίτως· πόσης ἄρα σπουδήν ὀφείλομεν ἐνδείξασθαι, ἵνα τούτου τοῦ φύσει ἀγαθοῦ καί ἐπιθυμητοῦ τύχωμεν.

μδ΄. Μή μολύνῃς τήν σάρκα σου ἐν αἰσχροῖς πράξεσι, καί μή μιάνῃς τήν ψυχήν πονηροῖς λογισμοῖς (969) καί ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπελεύσεται ἐπί σέ, τήν ἀγάπην φέρουσα.

με΄. Αἴκιζε τήν σάρκα σου ἀσιτίᾳ καί ἀγρυπνίᾳ, καί σχόλασον ἀόκνως ψαλμωδίᾳ καί προσευχῇ· καί ὁ ἁγιασμός τῆς σωφροσύνης ἐπί σέ ἐπελεύσεται, τήν ἀγάπην φέρων.

μστ΄. Ὁ τῆς θείας καταξιωθείς γνώσεως, καί τόν ταύτης φωτισμόν διά τῆς ἀγάπης κτησάμενος, οὐ ῥιπισθήσεταί ποτε ὑπό τοῦ τῆς κενοδοξίας πνεύματος [unus Reg. δαίμονος] · ὁ δέ ταύτης μήπω καταξιωθείς, εὐχερῶς ὑπ᾿ αὐτῆς περιφέρεται [edit. et unus Reg. φέρεται]. Ἐάν οὖν ὁ τοιοῦτος ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ πραττομένοις πρός τόν Θεόν ἀποβλέψῃ, ὡς δι᾿ αὐτόν πάντα ποιῶν, ῥᾳδίως σύν Θεῷ ἐκφεύξεται αὐτήν.

μζ΄. Ὁ μήπω τυχών τῆς θείας γνώσεως τῆς διά ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένης, μέγα φρονεῖ ἐπί τοῖς ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ κατά Θεόν πραττομένοις. Ὁ δέ ταύτης τυχεῖν καταξιωθείς, μετά διαθέσεως λέγει τά τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἀβράαμ ῥήματα, ἅπερ ἡνίκα τῆς θείας καταξιώθη ἐπιφανείας, εἶπεν· Ἐγώ εἰμί γῆ καί σποδός.

μη΄. Ὁ φοβούμενος τόν Κύριον, συνόμιλον ἀεί ἔχει τήν ταπεινοφροσύνην· καί διά τῶν ταύτης ἐνθυμημάτων, εἰς τήν θείαν ἀγάπην καί εὐχαριστίαν ἔρχεται. Μνημονεύει γάρ τῆς κατά τόν κόσμον προτέρας διαγωγῆς, καί τῶν ποικίλων παραπτωμάτων, καί τῶν ἐκ νεότητος συμβάντων αὐτῷ πειρασμῶν· καί πῶς πάντων ἐκείνων ἐῤῥύσατο αὐτόν ὁ Κύριος, καί μετέστησεν ἀπό τῆς ἐμπαθοῦς ζωῆς, εἰς τόν κατά Θεόν βίον· καί σύν τῷ φόβῳ, προσλαμβάνεται καί τήν ἀγάπην, εὐχαριστῶν ἀεί μετά ταπενοφροσύνης πολλῆς τῷ εὐεργέτῃ, καί κυβερνήτῃ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν.

μθ΄. Μή ῥυπώσῃς τόν νοῦν σου, λογισμῶν ἀνεχόμενος ἐπιθυμίας καί θυμοῦ, ἵνα μή τῆς καθαρᾶς προσευχῆς ἐκπεσών, τῷ τῆς ἀκηδίας πνεύματι περιπέσῃς.

ν΄. Τό τηνικαῦτα ὁ νοῦς τῆς πρός Θεόν παῤῥησίας ἐκπίπτει, ὁπηνίκα πονηροῖς ἤ ῥυπαροῖς λογισμοῖς συνόμιλλος γένηται.

να΄. Ὁ μέν ἄφρων ὑπό τῶν παθῶν ἀγόμενος, ὅτε μέν ὑπό τοῦ θυμοῦ κινούμενον ἐκταράσσεται, φεύγειν ἀλογίστως τούς ἀδελφούς ἐπείγεται· ὅτε δέ πάλιν ὑπό τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐκθερμαίνεται, μεταμελόμενος αὖθις προστρέχων ἀπαντᾷ. Ὁ δέ φρόνιμος, ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοτέρων τοὐναντίον ποιεῖ. Ἐπί μέν γάρ τοῦ θυμοῦ, τάς αἰτίας τῆς ταραχῆς ἐκκόψας, τῆς πρός τούς ἀδελφούς λύπης ἑαυτόν ἀπαλλάττει· ἐπί δέ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας, τῆς ἀλόγου ὁρμῆς καί συτυχίας ἐγκρατεύεται.

νβ΄. Ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῶν πειρασμῶν, μή καταλίπῃς τό μοναστήριόν σου· ἀλλά φέρε γενναίως τά κύματα τῶν λογισμῶν, καί μάλιστα τῶν τῆς λύπης καί ἀκηδίας. Οὕτω γάρ οἰκονομικῶς διά τῶν θλίψεων (972) δοκιμασθείς, ἕξεις βεβαίαν τήν εἰς Θεόν ἐλπίδα. Ἐάν δέ καταλιμπάνῃς, ἀδόκιμος καί ἄνανδρος καί ἄστατος εὑρεθήσῃ.