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becoming; and He might teach mystically according to the will, to begin another life, one perhaps beginning from pain and labors, but ending altogether in divine pleasure and boundless joy. For this reason He who made man becomes man, and is born as a man, so that He might save man, and having healed sufferings with sufferings, He might be shown to be a passion for our passions, supernaturally through His own privations in the flesh, lovingly renewing our states of being in the spirit.

15. He who by divine desire has conquered the soul's disposition toward the body, has become uncircumscribed, even though he is in a body. For God, who draws the desire of the one who desires Him, is incomparably higher than all things, not allowing the one who desires to fix his desire on any of the things after God. Let us therefore desire God with the whole power of our nature, and let us make our will unrestrained by all bodily things, and by our disposition let us become above all things both sensible and intelligible, and by our will to be with God who is by nature uncircumscribed, we shall in no way be harmed by our natural circumscription.

16. The suffering of the saints is a contest between envy and virtue; of the one, striving how it might prevail; of the other, bearing all things, how it might remain unconquered; and of the one, struggling how evil might succeed, through the punishment of those who do right; of the other, how it might possess the good who even in misfortunes have the advantage.

(1188) 17. The contest of virtue is to struggle in labors; bringing the prize of victory to those who endure, the dispassion of the soul, according to which, being united to God through love, it is separated by disposition from the body and the world. For the torment of the body is strength of soul for those who endure.

18. Having been stolen away from the beginning by the deceit of pleasure, we chose the death of true life. Let us therefore thankfully bear the pain of the body, the murderer of this pleasure, so that, having destroyed with itself the death which came through it, we may receive back to ourselves the life that was sold for pleasure, having been redeemed by the small pains of the flesh.

19. If when the flesh is comfortable, the strength of sin is accustomed to be fattened, it is clear that when it suffers, that of virtue is naturally wont to grow young again. Let us therefore nobly bear the suffering of the flesh, which is a cleanser of the soul's defilements, and a harbinger of the glory to come. For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

20. Neither do physicians, when treating the body, offer one and the same medicine to all, nor does God, when healing the diseases of souls, know only one manner of therapy suitable for all; but having assigned to each the appropriate one, He works the cures. Let us therefore give thanks while being healed, even if what happens involves torment; for the end is blessed.

21. Nothing so tests the soul's disposition as the uprisings of a suffering flesh; by which, if it yields, it will be shown to love the flesh more than God; but if it remains unshaken by their shocks, it will be shown to honor virtue more than the flesh; through which it will receive God as a dweller, Him who for its sake endured to suffer as we do, crying out, as of old to the disciples: Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

22. If all the saints have become partakers of discipline, let us also give thanks, being disciplined with them, so that we may be deemed worthy to become partakers of the same glory. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

23. Adam, on the one hand, having received the side that offered pleasure, places the human race outside of paradise; but the Lord, on the other hand, having had this side rent by the spear with pain, placed the thief inside paradise. Let us therefore love the

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γενόμενος· καί διδάξῃ μυστικῶς κατά γνώμην, ἄλλης ἀπάρχεσθαι ζωῆς, ἐξ ὀδύνης μέν τυχόν ἀρχομένης καί πόνων, ληγούσης δέ πάντως εἰς ἡδονήν θείαν καί εὐφροσύνην ἀπέραντον. ∆ιά τοῦτο γίνεται ἄνθρωπος, καί γεννᾶται ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ὁ ποιήσας τόν ἄνθρωπον, ἵνα σώσῃ τόν ἄνθρωπον, καί πάθη πάθεσιν ἰασάμενος, πάθος αὐτός ὑπάρχων ἀποδειχθῇ τῶν ἡμετέρων παθῶν, ὑπερφυῶς ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ κατά σάρκα στερήσεσι, τάς ἡμῶν φιλανθρώπως κατά πνεῦμα ἕξεις ἀνανεούμενος.

ιε΄. Ὁ τῷ θείῳ πόθω νικήσας τήν πρός τό σῶμα τῆς ψυχῆς διάθεσιν, ἀπερίγραφος γέγονε, κἄν ἐστιν ἐν σώματι. Ὁ γάρ ἕλκων τήν τοῦ ποθοῦντος ἔφεσιν Θεός, πάντων ἀσυγκρίτως ἐστίν ὑψηλότερος, οὐκ ἐῶν τόν ποθοῦντα τινί τῶν μετά Θεόν προσηλῶσαι τήν ἔφεσιν. Ποθήσωμεν οὖν τόν Θεόν καθ᾿ ὅλην ἡμῶν τήν τῆς φύσεως δύναμιν, καί πᾶσι τοῖς σωματικοῖς τήν προαίρεσιν ἀκράτητον ποιησώμεθα, καί πάντων τῶν ὄντων αἰσθητῶν τε καί νοητῶν ὑπεράνω τῇ διαθέσει γενώμεθα, καί οὐδέν κατά τήν γνώμην πρός τό συνεῖναι Θεῷ τῷ κατά φύσιν ἀπεριγράφῳ, παντελῶς ὑπό τῆς φυσικῆς περιγραφῆς ζημιωθησώμεθα.

ιστ΄. Ἀγών ἐστι φθόνου καί ἀρετῆς, ἡ τῶν ἁγίων δυσπάθεια· τοῦ μέν, ὅπως κρατήσῃ φιλονεικοῦντος· τῆς δέ, ὅπως ἀήττητος διαμείνῃ, πάντα φερούσης· καί τοῦ μέν, ὅπως εὐοδώσῃ κακία ἀγωνιζομένου, διά τῆς τῶν κατορθούντων κολάσεως· τῆς δέ, ὅπως κατάσχῃ τούς ἀγαθούς κἀν ταῖς συμφοραῖς τό πλέον ἔχοντας.

(1188) ιζ΄. Ἀρετῆς ἆθλόν ἐστι, τό τοῖς πόνοις ἐναγωνίζεσθαι· νίκης ἔπαθλον φερούσης τοῖς ὑπομένουσι, τῆς ψυχῆς τήν ἀπάθειαν, καθ᾿ ἥν δι᾿ ἀγάπης ἑνουμένη Θεῷ, σώματος καί κόσμου τῇ διαθέσει χωρίζεται. Ψυχῆς γάρ ῥῶσίς ἐστι τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν, ὁ τοῦ σώματος αἰκισμός.

ιη΄. Ἡδονῆς ἀπάτῃ κλαπέντες τό ἀπαρχῆς, τόν θάνατον τῆς ὄντως ζωῆς προεκρίναμεν. Ταύτης οὖν τόν φονευτήν εὐχαρίστως ἐνέγκωμεν πόνον τοῦ σώματος, ὅπως τοῦ ταύτης θανάτου ἑαυτῶ συναφανίσαντος τόν δι᾿ αὐτήν γενόμενον θάνατον, ἀπολάβωμεν ἡμῖν ἐπανατρέχουσαν τήν ἡδονῇ πραθεῖσαν ζωήν, μικροῖς πόνοις σαρκός ἀγαρασθεῖσαν.

ιθ΄. Εἰ σαρκός εὐπαθούσης, ὁ τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἴωθε πιαίνεσθαι τόνος, δῆλον ὅτι ταύτης δυσπαθούσης, ὁ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀνηβᾷν εἰκότως πέφυκε. Γενναίως οὖν ἐνέγκωμεν τῆς σαρκός τήν δυσπάθειαν, τῶν κατά ψυχήν οὖσαν ῥυπτικήν μολυσμῶν, καί τῆς μελλούσης δόξης πρόξενον. Οὐκ ἄξια γάρ τά παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ, πρός τήν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ἡμῖν ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι.

κ΄. Οὔτε σῶμα θεραπεύοντες ἰατροί, ἕν καί τό αὐτό πᾶσιν προσφέρουσι φάρμακον, οὔτε Θεός ψυχῶν ἰατρεύων νοσήματα, ἕν μόνον θεραπείας οἶδε τρόπον πάσαις ἁρμόδιον· ἀλλ᾿ ἑκάστῃ τόν πρόσφορον ἀπονείμας, τάς ἰάσεις ἐργάζεται. Εὐχαριστήσωμεν οὖν θεραπευόμενοι, κἄν ἔχῃ βάσανον τό γινόμενον· τό γάρ τέλος, μακάριον.

κα΄. Οὐδέν οὕτω ψυχῆς ἐλέγχει διάθεσιν, ὡς σαρκός δυσπαθούσης ἐπαναστήματα· οἷς, ἐάν μέν ὑπενδῷ, Θεοῦ πλέον στέργουσα τήν σάρκα φανήσεται· ἐάν δέ τοῖς τούτων διαμείνῃ τινάγμασιν ἄσειστος, σαρκός πλέον ἀρετήν τιμῶσα δειχθήσεται· δι᾿ ἧς τόν Θεόν ἔνοικον ὑποδέξεται, τόν δι᾿ αὐτήν παθεῖν καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς ἀνασχόμενον, βοῶντα, καθάπερ πάλαι τοῖς μαθηταῖς· Θαρσεῖτε, ἐγώ νενίκηκα τόν κόσμον.

κβ΄. Εἰ πάντες παιδείας οἱ ἅγιοι γεγόνασι μέτοχοι, καί ἡμεῖς εὐχαριστήσωμεν σύν αὐτοῖς παιδευόμενοι, ἵνα τῆς αὐτῆς μέτοχοι γενέσθαι δόξης ἀξιωθῶμεν. Ὅν γάρ ἀγαπᾶ Κύριος, παιδεύει· μαστιγοῖ δέ πάντα υἱόν, ὅν παραδέχεται.

κγ΄. Ὁ μέν Ἀδάμ τήν πλευράν ἡδονήν προτείνουσαν παραδεξάμενος, ἔξω τοῦ παραδείσου ποιεῖ τό ἀνθρώπινον· ὁ δέ Κύριος πόνῳ ταύτην διά τῆς λόγχης ἀνασχισθείς, τόν λῃστήν ἔσω τοῦ παραδείσου ἐποίησεν. Ἀγαπήσωμεν τοίνυν τόν