12. If, for the joy and gladness of spiritual creatures, He wants to liken Himself to one of the creatures, for example: the city of light — Jerusalem, or the mountain — heavenly Zion; then all things can be as it pleases Him, according to what is said: "Ye shall come near to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem" (Heb. 12:22). Everything is easy and convenient for Him, into what He wants, transfigured for His worthy and faithful souls. Let man only strive to become pleasing and pleasing to Him, and by his very experience he will perceptibly behold the heavenly blessings, the inexpressible delight, the boundless riches of the Godhead, in the true sense, which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor ascended in the heart of man (1 Corinthians 2:9), and behold the Spirit of the Lord, Who has become the repose, joy, delight and eternal life of worthy souls. For the Lord makes Himself flesh both for food and for drink, as it is written in the Gospel: "Whosoever eateth of this bread shall live forever" (John 6:51), in order to give rest to the soul inexpressibly and to fill it with spiritual joy. For He says: "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35). And in like manner He makes Himself flesh for the drink of the stream of heaven, as He says: "Whosoever drinketh of water, which I will give him, there shall be in him a fountain of water, flowing into eternal life" (John 4:14). And all, it is said, "drink beer also" (1 Cor. 10:4).

13. In this way, as He Himself pleased and as it was profitable, He appeared to each of the Holy Fathers, sometimes to Abraham, sometimes to Isaac, sometimes to Jacob, sometimes to Noah, Daniel, David, Solomon, Isaiah, and every one of the holy prophets, sometimes to Elijah, sometimes to Moses. And I think that Moses, during the entire forty-day fast on the mountain, approaching this spiritual meal, was comforted and enjoyed it. Therefore, as He Himself was pleased to do, He appeared to each of the saints in order to give rest, to save and to bring to the knowledge of God. For whatever He wills is convenient for Him, and diminishing Himself as He pleases, He makes Himself flesh and transforms Himself, making Himself visible to those who love Him, through great and inexpressible love, in the unapproachable glory of light, being worthy, in proportion to the strength of each. And the soul that has been vouchsafed with great desire and hope, with faith and love, to receive into itself this power from above, the heavenly love of the Spirit, and already has within itself the heavenly fire of immortal life, truly renounces all worldly love, frees itself from all bonds of vice.

14. Just as iron, or lead, or gold, or silver, when put into fire, lose the property of hardness, changing into soft substances, and while they are in the fire, by the power of fiery heat, they melt and change their natural hardness: in the same way, the soul, having renounced the world and loved the one Lord, with great heartfelt searching, in labor, in podvig, constantly waiting for Him with hope and faith, and having received into himself this heavenly fire of the Divinity and the love of the Spirit, he truly renounces all worldly love, frees himself from all harm of the passions, sweeps everything away from himself, changes his natural quality and his sinful rigidity, considers everything superfluous, in the one heavenly Bridegroom, Whom she received to herself, resting with ardent and ineffable love for Him.

15. And I tell you that even the most beloved brethren whom it has before its eyes, if it is stopped in this love, the soul, so to speak, turns away; for her life and rest are mysterious and ineffable communion with the heavenly King. For the love of carnal communion separates from father, mother, and brothers; and everything that concerns them is done in the mind as an outsider. And if a man loves them, he loves them as an outsider; yet he has his affection for his concubine. For it is said: "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh" (Ephesians 5:31). And therefore, if carnal love thus renounces all love, how much more will those who have really been vouchsafed to enter into communion with this heavenly and longed-for Holy Spirit renounce all love for the world, and everything will seem superfluous to them; for they are overcome by the heavenly desire, and in close dependence on it; there are desires, there are their thoughts, there they live, there their thoughts go, there the mind always has its own abode, overcome by divine and heavenly love and spiritual desire.

16. After this, beloved brethren, when so many good things are set before us, and so many promises have been proclaimed by the Lord; let us remove from ourselves all difficulties, let us turn away from all love in the world, let us devote ourselves to the search for and desire of this one good, so that we may be able to acquire that ineffable love of the Spirit, to which Blessed Paul advised us to hasten, saying: "Hold fast to love" (1 Corinthians 3:1), so that we, after our cruelty, may be vouchsafed a change in the right hand of the Most High, and being wounded by the love of the Divine Spirit, come to meekness and spiritual rest; for the Lord has mercy on us with great kindness, as soon as we turn to Him completely, plucking ourselves out of all that is opposed. Even if, through great ignorance, through infancy and because of the rooting of vices in us, we turn away from life, and set many obstacles for ourselves, not wanting to really repent; then He, Who is long-suffering towards us, shows great mercy, as soon as we turn to Him, and enlighten our inner man, so that our faces may not be ashamed in the day of judgment.

17. And if this seems difficult to us, because of the severity of the feats of virtue, or rather, because of the suggestion and advice of the adversary; then the Lord is merciful and long-suffering, waiting for our conversion, and if we sin, He endures this in the hope of our repentance, and if we fall, He is not ashamed to receive us again, as the Prophet said: "Does food fall not rise?" Or shall he not turn away (Jeremiah 8:4)? We will only sober up by acquiring a good thought; let us turn to Him quickly and righteously, seeking His help; but He is ready to save us; for He awaits the ardent striving of our good will towards Him to the best of our ability, from the will of faith and zeal, and He Himself produces in us every predence. Therefore, beloved, having cast off all prejudice, negligence, and laziness, as children of God, let us try to become courageous and ready to follow Him, let us not postpone this day after day, being drawn to it by vice; for we do not know when our departure from the flesh will be. Great and ineffable are the promises to Christians, and so great that all the glory and babble of heaven and earth, and their other adornment and variety, and riches, and beauty, and delights in the things seen cannot even be compared with the faith and riches and riches and riches and riches of the visible.

18. And so, with so many motives and promises of the Lord, how can we not wish to draw wholly to the Lord and to Him to devote ourselves, above all else, according to the Gospel, denying even our souls, and loving Him alone, loving nothing else? Behold, all this has been granted to us, and what other glory! How many of the Lord's views on us since the time of the Fathers and Prophets! How many promises have been proclaimed! How many motives! What mercy Vladyka had towards us from the beginning! Finally, at His coming, He proved His ineffable goodness to us by His crucifixion, so that He might bring us into life when we were converted. And we do not yet part with our wills, with our love for the world, with bad prejudices and habits, and through this we turn out to be of little faith, or even unfaithful! Yet, in spite of all this, the Lord remains merciful to us, invisibly protecting and reposing us, not completely betraying us, because of our sins, to the vice and deceptions of the world, out of great goodness and long-suffering, not allowing us to perish, bearing in mind that we will turn to Him someday.

19. But I am afraid that in time the Apostle's saying may not be fulfilled against us, who live in disdain for everything, and are led by prejudices, namely: "Or about the riches of His goodness, and meekness, and long-suffering, you are negligent, ignorant, for the goodness of God leads you to repentance" (Rom. 2:4)? If, through His long-suffering, goodness and meekness, we increase the number of sins, and by our negligence and neglect we prepare for ourselves the most grievous condemnation, then the Apostle's word will be fulfilled upon us: "But according to your hardness and impenitent heart, you store up for yourselves wrath in the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (5). For great and inscrutable is the goodness of God, inexpressible is God's long-suffering towards the human race, if only we wish to sober up and try to turn wholly to God, so that we may be able to obtain salvation.

20. And if it pleases you to know God's long-suffering and the great goodness of God; then we can learn this from the inspired Scriptures. Look at the Israelites, from whom the fathers, to whom the promises were determined, from whom Christ according to the flesh came, whose ministry and covenant (Rom. 9:4, 5). How much have they sinned? How many times have you been seduced? And God did not abandon them in the end; but for a short time, for their own benefit, He gave them over to punishment, in sorrow, wishing to soften their hardness of heart, He converted, urged them, sent prophets to them, and how long was He long-suffering towards them, when they sinned and offended Him? He received those who turned with joy; and when they were perverted again, He did not forsake Him, but through the Prophets He called them to conversion, and although they repeatedly turned away from Him and turned to Him, each time He met (met – Ed.) with good will, received with love for mankind, until they finally fell into great sin, laying His hands on their own Lord, Whom, according to the tradition of the Fathers and holy Prophets, they expected to be their Redeemer, Saviour, King and Prophet. For when He came, they did not receive Him, but even more, having subjected Him to great mockery, they finally gave Him over to death on the cross. And by this great insult and excessive transgression, their multiplied sins were brought to fullness; therefore, in the end, they have already been abandoned, after the Holy Spirit has departed from them, when the veil of the Church has been torn. For this reason their temple, which was given over to the Gentiles, was destroyed and desolate, according to the Lord's decree, that there should not be left here stone upon stone, which shall not be destroyed (Matt. 24:2). And thus they were resolutely betrayed to the pagans, and scattered throughout the whole earth by the kings who then took them captive, and they were commanded not to return to their own country any more.

21. Так и ныне милостивый и благий к каждому из нас Бог являет Свое долготерпение. Хотя многократные видит от каждого оскорбления, но безмолвствует, ожидая, не отрезвится ли человек со временем, и не пременится ли, чтобы больше уже не оскорблять Его; и с великою любовью и радостью приемлет обращающегося от греха. Ибо так говорит: радость бывает о едином грешнице кающемся (Лук. 15, 10); и еще: несть воля пред Отцем Моим, да погибнет един от малых сих (Лук. 18, 14) наименьших. Но если кто, — при великом к нему милосердии и долготерпении Божием, когда Бог не подвергает его наказанию за каждое греховное преткновение, тайное или явное, но видя оное, безмолвствует, как бы ожидая покаяния, — сам, дошедши до великого пренебрежения, начинает прилагать грехи ко грехам, присовокуплять беспечность к беспечности, на одном прегрешении созидать другое, и исполняет меру грехов; то впадает уже, наконец, в такой грех, из которого не может изникнуть, но сокрушается, и предавшись лукавому, погибает в конец.

22. Так было с содомлянами. Много греша и не обращаясь, напоследок, злым умышлением против Ангелов, возжелав совершить с ними мужеложство, в такой впали грех, что не стало уже места и покаянию, но отвержены они в конец; потому что исполнили, и даже превзошли меру грехов. И потому, по Божию суду, попалены огнем. Так было и при Ное; многократно раздражая Бога и не принося в том покаяния, простерлись до таких грехов, что растлили, наконец, всю землю. Так и к египтянам, которые много оскорбляли Бога и согрешали против народа Его, Бог был еще милостив, не налагал на них таких казней, чтобы в конец истребить их, а только в научение, чтобы побудить к обращению и покаянию, наносил им легкие удары, являя Свое долготерпение и ожидая их покаяния. Но они, во многом согрешив пред Божиим народом, то обращаясь, то опять в том раскаиваясь, и утвердившись в древнем неверии злого произволения, обременив народ Божий работами, напоследок, когда Бог чрез Моисея при множестве чудес извел народ из Египта, учинили великий грех, погнавшись в след за народом Божиим. Почему, Божественный суд наконец истребил, и погубил, и потопил их в водах, признав недостойными видимой жизни.

23. Подобным образом, израильтяне, как говорено и выше, многократно подвергались преткновениям и согрешали, убивая Пророков Божиих и совершая много других худых дел, пока Бог безмолвно долготерпел, ожидая их покаяния; напоследок, преткнулись так, что сокрушились, и уже не восставали; потому что возложили руки свои на Владычнее величие. А поэтому, в конец оставленные Богом, они отвержены; отняты у них пророчество, и священство, и богослужение; все же сие дано уверовавшим язычникам, как говорит Господь: отымется от вас царствие, и дастся языку творящему плоды его (Мф. 21, 43). До этого времени терпел их Бог, не прекращал Своего долготерпения, не переставал милосердствовать о них. Но поелику исполнили, и даже переполнили, меру грехов, возложив руки свои на Владычнее величие; то в конец оставлены Богом.

24. Распространились же мы о сем, возлюбленные, из Писания почерпнутыми мыслями подтверждая, что, как можно скорее, должно нам обратиться и поспешить ко Господу, Который милостив к нам, и ожидает, чтобы совершенно удалились мы от всякого лукавства и худого предубеждения, обращающихся же приемлет с великою радостью, — распространились, говорю, о сем для того более, чтобы со дня на день не возрастало пренебрежение наше, и не умножались в нас грехопадения наши, и чрез сие не навлекли мы на себя Божия гнева. Посему, постараемся, обратившись с искренним сердцем, приступить к Богу, и поелику отчаяние есть внушение злобы и коварства, не отчаиваться во спасении при воспоминании предшествовавших грехов, которые для того и приводят человека к отчаянию, недеятельности, нерадению и беспечности, чтобы, обратившись и пришед ко Господу, по великой Господней милости к человеческому роду, не получил он спасения.

25. Если же кажется нам как бы неудобоисполнимым и невозможным — обратиться от множества предвозобладавших нами грехов (а такая мысль, как сказали уже мы, есть внушение злобы и служит препятствием к нашему спасению); то приведем себе на память и не оставим без внимания, как Господь, пришедши к нам по благости Своей, давал прозрение слепым, врачевал расслабленных, целил всякую болезнь, воскрешал мертвых, которых коснулось уже тление и разрушение, отверзал слух глухим, из одного человека изгнал легион бесов и дошедшему до такого беснования возвратил здравый ум. Кольми же паче душу, которая к Нему обращается, у Него ищет милости, Его требует помощи, и обратит Он, и приведет в целомудрие бесстрастия, в благоустройство всякой добродетели, в обновление ума, дарует ей здравие, прозрение разумения, мир помыслов, от слепоты, глухоты и мертвости неверия, неведения и небоязненности возведет к целомудрию добродетели и чистоте сердца. Ибо Кто создал тело, Тот сотворил и душу. И как, пребывая на земле, по благости Своей, всем приходящим к Нему и ищущим у Него помощи и исцеления, как благий и единый врач, в чем имел кто нужду, подавал то щедро; так щедр Он и в духовном.